Beauty & The Buizel v2
by Riley Sky
Summary: Three years passed since rangers disappeared and Dim Sun starts their rise to power. After strange circumstances, Kate is kept prisoner in a strange castle with talking pokemon. One of which is a buizel who holds a strong curse. It's up to the buizel and Kate to surpass the darkness that haunts them both. (Pokemon Almia fanfic) (rewritten version of Beauty & Buizel 1)


**INTRODUCING THE MOST EPIC WRITER EVER! GIVE IT UP FOR SKY!**

**Chia: And I'm Chia the pachirisu! Obviously the readers are applauding for ME.**

***rolls eyes* Now then. I already did write a Beauty & The Buizel story. However, when I wrote that first one, I found myself thinking of an alternate version some weeks later. Too much alteration to merely go back and edit. But with my other story in action at the time, I decided to put the idea away and wait till summer to do it.**

**Chia: And it's summer.**

**Right. Plus I had more ideas how to write. Though I noticed the anniversary of that story was coming up in another month. So I thought I could write sketches of the story and wait till that anniversary date to post it.**

**Chia: But…?**

**It'll be my very first week in college and alongside a main series SOA fanfic, I've got a lot on my plate. So consider this an early anniversary gift to my readers. Read, review and enjoy!**

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**Note to the readers who read version 1: **

**There are going to be VERY many obvious differences in the plot. Going for a more original style this time. And some of the pokemon changed. Hope you like it!**

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_In the pokemon world, there is a wonderful, vast region known as Almia. Almia is usually a peaceful region with happy people and pokemon. Though there would be times trouble would come up. Sometimes little stuff but maybe a major event too. To help combat anything, there stood a tall castle-like building known as the Union. Inside the Union, there were pokemon rangers. With pokemon at their side, they'd protect citizens and nature from harm. Every one of them had a friendly, passionate spirit. Alongside operators and mechanics, Almia was serene._

_One stormy night, an old man with a dark cloak stumbled into the door. The rangers were eager to help out and make sure this elderly person was alright. They offered a place to stay until the rain cleared. But the old man gave a twisted smirk, warning them not to be deceived by appearances. Throwing his cloak to the side, it was revealed this man was one of the darkest, most evil men in the world; Blake Hall._

_He attacked the rangers with his dark magic. Rangers were fighting back valiantly. The battle went on for a long time; shadows vs light. It was the brave warriors against this sinister man. Many rangers were killed in the vicious war. Some of the operators and mechanics standing by perished as well. _

_There was one ranger who stood out. He was a graduate of school some weeks before but proved to be a prodigy. This lad charged forward and faced enemy himself. Using the amazing capture abilities, Blake Hall was weakened and almost completely stripped of power. It didn't take much after for this ranger to finish the mad man off. Cheers erupted as Blake Hall lay on the ground, slowly dying. _

_The ranger celebrated his victory alongside his other friends. They were too happy to see that Blake still had a tiny sliver of power left. And he fired the dark powers right at the confident ranger. That ranger screamed as the darkness hit him, causing him to fall to his knees and become surrounded by a dark void. His alarmed friends were unsure what to do._

_Blake evilly laughed as a curse enveloped the entire Union area. The darkness started the Union into an actual castle of tremendous size though with horribly creepy décor. Even the area around the Union became dim and terrifying. Rangers, operators and mechanics found themselves wrapped up in a dark wind. Next thing they knew, they had transformed into pokemon. Even the hot-shot ranger had gruesomely morphed into a pokemon too._

_Everyone was horrified to see what happened. They faced Blake with rage, demanding to return everything to normal. Blake gave another smirk as he told them he couldn't. This curse was irreversible. No one was permitted to leave the castle grounds on their own. Nor would they be able to call for help. Their only window to the outside world was the operator's giant monitor that had magical, but limited, abilities. However, that wasn't the worst part._

_The only way to break this spell was connected to the ranger that beat Blake. If that ranger could find his one & only true love and earn her love with a kiss as proof, then the curse would break and all would return to normal. However, the ranger only had three years to do this. The beautiful sakura tree (known as Tree of Harmony) on top of the castle would bloom until the ranger's sixteenth birthday. When the last petal fell, time was up. No kiss, then everyone was doomed to remain a pokemon forever._

_Blake Hall died having the last laugh; turned into dark particles and vanished. At first, everyone was hopeful that they could overcome this challenge. But time passed. Hope was becoming lost. Even that confident ranger wasn't so sure he'd set everyone free. What girl would wander in these dim woods? The odds were stacked very high._

_Besides, who would ever love a pokemon?_

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Years came and went. It was almost three years by this point but not quite yet. There was time left to break the spell put on the Union. People hated being pokemon though they adjusted and managed best they could. The ranger who took down Blake Hall had his friends to help him get through the tough times while trying to think of a solution.

A buizel, aka the confident ranger, was in one of the rooms on the upper levels. It was the operators room but now had become ruined and messy during the castle curse and years of neglect. There were papers on the floor, items scattered all over the place and dust in many places. The only thing of interest was the monitor. He had seen some glimpses of Almia but now just stared at the blank screen, a little down.

"Hey Keith. Thought we'd find you up here."

Keith, the buizel, turned to see two pokemon coming up the stairs. There was a larvitar and an eevee.

"Sup?" Keith muttered, giving a small paw wave of acknowledgment.

"Come on, Keith! Where's your arrogance and idiocy?" The eevee questioned.

"Yep. Even after all this time, Rhythmi, you're still the annoying operator I know." Keith remarked.

"I AM NOT ANNOYING!" Rhythmi protested. "Issac! Help me out here!"

Issac, the larvitar, sweatdropped. "Er…um…Keith? Care to explain why it is you're depressed? You seem to be even worse than usual."

"It's…" Keith sighed. "It's nearly three years. Chances of returning to human form are dwindling. And it's all my fault."

"It isn't your fault." Issac assured.

"Yeah! Stupid Blake was the one who did this! That jerk!" Rhythmi huffed.

"Besides, there is some time left. Not much, yes, but at least we have time." Issac added. "Who knows? We might find a way. With everyone working together, something is sure to come up."

Keith grinned slightly. "Thanks guys."

"We're always there for you." Issac said.

"You want to head downstairs for dinner? Luana's helping Crawford cook tonight. And I think we'll need your water gun in case Crawford catches fire. Again." Rhythmi sweatdropped.

"That never gets old." Keith chuckled.

"I'll go round up Sven and Wendy!" Rhythmi offered, scurrying away.

Keith hopped off the monitor to join Issac. Both the buizel and larvitar started to make their way through the castle, down to the kitchen. Soon enough, they'd be with their best friends. They'd eat up and share a few laughs together. It was these friends that always inspired Keith to find that special girl so they'd be set free from the curse.

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Late in the night. An old clock chimed twelve times as pokemon throughout the castle slept on. The castle creaked and moaned, settling. It's air was chilly and creepy. No one in their right mind would want to be awake.

In one room, a luxray and staraptor quietly slept. Suddenly, the luxray opened his eyes. His ears were tuning in to a strange sound that seemed out of place. Concentrating hard, the luxray tried to detect what the sound was. He was still for a moment. After determining the sound and what's going on, the luxray got up and started to leave the room.

"Sven? What're you doing up…?"

Sven glanced back at the staraptor, Wendy. His ranger partner yawned, very sleepy.

"Something's off. I hear someone scaling the outer castle walls and going towards the Tree of Harmony." Sven replied. "Better check it out."

"I'll go with you." Wendy said, getting up.

The luxray didn't object. He knew the two of them were a team. They stuck together no matter what; before and after the curse occurred. And they'd always be there for each other. Sven gave a nod and left the room; Wendy followed. They were making their way up to the top of the castle without making noise. Sven was hearing the sound better as they got closer. Both pokemon quickened their pace.

Long climbs through the many stairs and levels this maze-of-a-castle had. It took some time before they arrived at the rooftop. Not much. Just a large area with green grass and a gigantic sakura tree in the middle. Only now, there was a strange man who had just climbed on top of the roof. He appeared to be middle aged with a touch of wrinkles and out-of-fashion clothes. His hair was platinum blonde and had a truckload of smelly hairspray holding it in a crazy hairdo. Wendy wasn't crazy about the smell but Sven had it worse with his heightened sense. Worst part? That strange man was starting to go to the tree with a sack in hand.

"FREEZE!" Sven shouted.

The strange man jumped, throwing his sack in the air wildly. He whipped around with wide eyes focused on Sven and Wendy.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Sven questioned.

"Y-y-you talk!" The strange man exclaimed, aghast. "T-there's a t-talking luxray!"

"And a talking staraptor too, you son of a…" Wendy started to say.

"AAAHHH! DON'T HURT ME!" The strange man shouted in a freaked out manner.

"We want to know what you're doing here, first of all." Sven growled. "Humans don't exactly come this way often. Nor do we ever have any visitors."

"M-my hobby is creating hairsprays! And I-I like making exotic ones!" The man stammered. "There were r-rumors of a sakura tree way out here that might be in bloom. I-I just wanted a-a few petals to put in the bag!"

"Don't lie to us." Wendy glared at him fiercely. "You have a sack that can carry the entire tree. Your plan was to sneak here, steal our sakura petals and run off to make hairsprays. And knowing your kind, probably turn a good profit. Am I right?"

"I…I…" The man gulped.

Good. He was scared senseless. Now to get a few threats in there and chase the guy off for good.

"We don't tolerate trespassers here. And we especially don't tolerate thieves." Sven told him in a cold tone.

"I think we better teach you a lesson about stealing…" Wendy hissed, joining in.

The luxray and staraptor took a few steps forward. In front of them, the man trembled. He looked quite scared of this.

"W-WAIT!" The man dropped to his knees in a begging position. "Don't kill me! I'll do anything!"

"Anything? Pfft. What could you have that we possibly want?" Wendy rolled her eyes.

"I-I have money, influence, great hairspray collections…" The man listed.

What a joke. Wendy and Sven shook their heads. Wow was this crook freaked out. They were having a little fun messing with him.

"And a daughter…"

Hold up. Did he just say…? Sven and Wendy glanced at each other with surprised before facing the man with skeptic looks.

"Wait a minute." Sven stopped the man's rambling. "A daughter?"

"Y-yes! She's obedient and quiet! Never complains or gives anyone trouble!" The man told them.

"How old?" Sven questioned.

"Fifteen." The man answered. "A-and she'll do whatever you want. I mean _ANYTHING_. Really!"

The pokemon both thought the same thing as they tried hiding their smiles. Finally! Their chance had come! This was their lucky break! Sven stepped forth to the man.

"Alright. Bring your daughter to us in three days and leave her here." Sven instructed. "You do that and you'll leave without a scratch."

"Deal!" The man quickly accepted.

"However, if you do not come in three times with the girl, you will be punished." Wendy warned.

"I am a luxray with keen sense of sight, smell and hearing. You see, even with all that hairspray, I can still smell your scent. And my tracking skills can hunt you down in an instant. You can run but you can't hide." Sven threatened. "If you back out, I'll come finish you off myself."

"I-I promise I won't run! My daughter's all yours!" The man spluttered. "JUST DON'T HURT ME!"

Selfish guy. Didn't he care about his own daughter? How could someone give up their kid for their own safety? Oh well. His loss, the Union's gain.

"Good." Sven mumbled. "Now leave. We'll see you in three days time. Bring the girl."

"Y-yes! Yes I'll bring her! Promise! Swear!" The man nodded quickly. "I-I'll see you in three days!"

The man scrambled back down the castle walls. Turns out, he used rope. Lots of rope. All to get up to the tree. Sven and Wendy watched the man get down to the ground, abandon the rope (which Sven sliced off with his claws) and run away into the dreary woods. Only when he was surely gone did the pokemon smile wide.

"I can't believe it…" Wendy whispered.

"I know. It finally happened!" Sven said.

"YES!" Wendy cheered, flapping her wings. "We're almost there! I can practically feel my hands again!"

"Hey, what's with all the noise?"

Sven and Wendy looked to see Keith coming up the stairs. The buizel was rubbing his half-open eyes and looking very groggy, having just woken up. The luxray and staraptor's smiles were even bigger now.

"Buddy, have we got good news for you!" Sven said.

"Huh?" Keith blinked.

"We got you a girlfriend!" Wendy announced.

Keith stared at them with disbelief. "WAIT WHAT?!"

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The Union was busy with activity; more so than the past couple years. Every pokemon was talking about what happened. They praised Wendy & Sven for their brilliant thinking while encouraging Keith. Keith was shook up from the news. Hard to believe that suddenly, just as the big date neared, a girl was coming to the castle. This girl who may be Keith's one chance to return things to normal. He'd have to fall in love with the mystery maiden if there was any hope of restoring everyone to human form and getting the ranger Union running again.

For most of the time, the buizel was hiding. He was embarrassed by everyone paying so much attention to him and getting all this weird romantic advice. Yes, the other Union members meant well. Still, made Keith uncomfortable and feel awkward. Plus the pressure to do well wasn't making it easier. Only to his close friends knew where he hid and to only them did the buizel come out. Though it was still weird for them to talk endlessly about the girl coming to stay with them.

By the time the day had come, the castle was cleaned up a bit and the room for the new guest was ready. Everyone was anxious over the event. Keith was getting tired of the fussing and wanted some air. So he carefully snuck out of the castle, heading into the woods a bit. He waited in the bushes outside Union grounds to wait for the man and his daughter. Though he didn't dare admit it, Keith was extremely nervous. What was this girl like? Would he get along with her? Was this the girl that would break the spell? She had to be. Keith had to make this work out somehow. Even if this girl was ugly or was as weird as her father (as Sven and Wendy claimed), the buizel knew he'd do anything to help his friends and the ranger Union.

"Hurry up already! I don't want to be late and I especially don't want a luxray ripping my limbs off!"

There was a bitter, snarky tone that approached. Keith peered between the branches to see two figures coming forth on the path. The first was the man that his friends described. Seemed a little hasty and bitter too. The shock from the other night must've worn off. Keith looked over to see the man's daughter.

"Whoa…" Keith whispered, eyes wide and in shock.

The girl! She was beautiful! There were odd aspects to her like the extremely pale skin color, how she was all covered up in conservative clothing and her head was hung low. But the skin looked so smooth, her face seemed to be carved like a work of art and her caramel hair was wrapped up in two cute spiky pigtails. Keith couldn't believe his eyes. She was perfect! Like a princess!

"Now I know I had plans for you and someone we know may not be too thrilled. However, my life is on the line here. I do what I must." The man spoke.

As they two walked on the path, Keith followed through the bushes. His eyes couldn't look away from the girl.

"I expect you to behave." The man ordered. "Do whatever it is those pokemon want you to do. I don't care what; just do it."

No response from the girl. She was unusually silent.

"And don't think about escaping. You do and will make sure you go through hell." The man menaced. "Stay here. Obey these pokemon. Be their prisoner. And keep your mouth shut."

Again, no response. Keith took a closer look at her face. There was a blank, stoic look at first glance though the eyes seem to say differently. The eyes were blue but you'd barely be able to tell. Keith found this girl's eyes were filled with darkness. Not like the kind that put Keith in this mess the first place. More like a haunting sadness. There seemed to be no spirit or emotion in them. Keith gazed on these eyes with curiosity. Something about those eyes drew him in. As though he was trying to figure out the mystery behind them. Why did it seem like there was something more to this girl?

The castle was coming up quick. After one more look at the girl, Keith took off ahead of them. He hopped up several ledges on the castle walls and climbed up the vines that grew along it. The buizel managed to make it back to his room before going through the hallways. Keith stopped before the grand stairs at the front entrance. He hid behind the corner, glancing down at the doors below.

Yep. There they were; the girl and her father. Keith was paying especially close attention to the girl and making sure to listen as his friends approached them. At least the girls head wasn't hung low like before. But those eyes were the same as they were before. And as before, Keith couldn't help but stare at them.

"I brought her as promised." The man said.

"So we see Mr…." Sven hesitated.

"Kincaid." The man cleared his throat. "I leave you in possession of the girl. You may do whatever you wish to her."

Kincaid turned around and left. Soon enough, the girl was left alone with the pokemon. Her expression didn't change as she looked at Keith's friends.

"Welcome to the castle! This is where you'll be staying from here on out!" Rhythmi greeted cheerfully.

"Don't worry! It's a lot better than it looks!" A treeko chuckled.

"Totally!" A buneary agreed preppily.

"That's Luana, the treeko is Crawford, then there's Wendy, Sven and Issac. We have our friend Keith, a buizel, who I'm sure you'll meet later. I'm Rhythmi, by the way! Nice to meet you!" Rhythmi introduced. "What's your name?"

The girl was quiet. Odd. She didn't even talk to the pokemon or say her own name? What's wrong with her?

"Ummmm…can you talk at all?" Rhythmi asked.

Maybe she couldn't. It was possible she wasn't born with the ability to speak though Keith sensed there was more. As if there was a reason she was sad and mute. And the buizel was itching to discover it. Keith's friends waited for an answer but realized they weren't getting one. Awkward tension filled the air.

"Well…." Issac broke the silence. "Perhaps we should guide our guest to her accommodations?"

"Good idea!" Rhythmi agreed.

Keith took off, knowing Rhythmi and the girl would be up the stairs in a moment. The buizel's room wasn't too far off. He managed to duck into his room and avoid being seen. Whew! Time to relax. And also pretend like he never saw anything. If his friends found out, they'd tease him to no end.

"Knock, knock!"

Coming into his room was Crawford. No doubt this was leading up to a joke.

"Who's there?" Keith played along.

"Zapdos."

"Zapdos who?"

"Zapdos crazy maniacs!"

Keith groaned, facepalming. Crawford snickered at his humor. Leave it to the comedian of the rangers to pull something.

"The girl arrived." The treeko said. "But I guess you already knew."

"Why do you say that?" Keith asked.

Crawford smirked. "Dude, Sven has super hearing and can see through walls. He already knew you were watching."

Keith was stunned before grumbling choice words.

"Busted!" Crawford laughed.

"Ok, ok! So I saw her!" Keith confessed.

"And…?"

"And…" Keith muttered. "She's not that bad looking. I could get used to her."

"OH MY GOSH YOU TOTALLY LIKE HER!"

Keith jumped a little at the sudden voice before seeing who was at the door. Luana hopped into the room, excited and energetic. Her eyes were big and anime styled. That usually meant she either had wild, crazy ideas or she was about to make the kitchen explode.

"I haven't even met the chick yet!" Keith objected.

"But you were so shy you ran off rather than meet her!" Luana said. "And Sven said you looked interested in her!"

"I was staring at her eyes. Something's weird about them." Keith told her. "I mean they're blue but it's faint. And there's all this darkness in them. Kind of like she's locked away in a world of sadness."

Crawford and Luana stared at him. In two seconds, Keith realized he said the wrong thing and instantly regretted it.

"ITS LOVE!" Luana squealed.

"IT'S NOT!" Keith protested, pink faced.

"You were staring at her eyes! And you notice the details!" Luana pointed out.

"She has a good point. You sound like you already like this girl. A LOT." Crawford added.

"You stare at Luana's eyes all the time." Keith argued.

"That's cause it's eye contact, silly." Luana said with a giggle.

Crawford was silent, looking awkward. He was blushing slightly. Keith already knew the story. All of his friends were aware of it. Lunana wasn't; she had no idea what was going on in the treeko's head.

"Anyways, you gonna meet your girlfriend now or wait until dinner?" Luana asked.

"She's not my girlfriend." Keith responded.

"Not yet!" Luana sang. "The date tonight will fix that!"

"WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE SETTING ME UP?!" Keith yelled, irritated.

"Cause you'd be lost without us." Crawford reasoned with a grin.

Keith was about to object to this but paused. He thought it over.

"Good point." The buizel sighed.

"Relax! You'll do fine!" Crawford assured. "Rhythmi's getting The girl ready while you get Sven to coach you in winning women over."

"How many girlfriends did he have before the curse?" Luana asked.

"I actually lost count after triple digits." Crawford sweatdropped.

"Oh well." Keith shrugged. "I assume you're cooking dinner, Crawford?"

"With my help!" Luana added.

Keith stared at Crawford with an incredulous look.

"Relax." Crawford whispered to him. "I'll just let her stir the soup. She can't possibly mess that up."

"You underestimate the toaster killer." Keith whispered back.

"By the way, you still didn't answer my question from before." Luana said. "Will you meet the new girl now or wait till dinner?"

"Dinner. I'm kind of tired right now." Keith answered.

"Great! Rest up and we'll take care of everything!" Luana assured in a preppy tone.

The buizel hopped to the windowsill as his friends left him alone. Keith was starting to drift into a nice little nap. But before he fell asleep, he wondered what would happen in a few hours. What would his first date be like? Heck, what was the girl like? Would she still remain silent? Only time would tell.

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"Everything ready?"

"Ok seriously? You guys are going overboard…"

Evening. There was a long table set up with a white tablecloth. Fancy candles were stuck in the center with silverware and plates at each end. Chairs were pulled up beside the places. By the table, the fireplace was lit up. Keith was standing by the fire with Wendy and Sven. Crawford and Luana were in the kitchen while Rhythmi attended to the girl. Issac would come at any moment to announce the girl was coming.

"This whole thing was Rhythmi's idea. Of course she went overboard." Wendy remarked.

"Hey we need you and your date to click! Sparks of romance will follow with you two falling in love. One kiss, BAM! Human again by morning!" Sven said.

"Love isn't that easy, Sven. It takes time." Wendy reminded. "But with your track record, I doubt you'd understand. You probably don't even get what love is, do you?"

Sven frowned, bothered by the comment.

"Only issue is I don't have experience with this sort of thing." Keith mumbled.

"Which is why I'm here." Sven spoke. "Think of me as your coach."

"Alright, coach. What am I supposed to do on a date?" Keith asked.

"Talk to her. Yes you have dinner but a dinner date is always an excuse to talk; get to know the other person. Start a conversation with the girl. Ask questions about her." Sven replied. "Once she's warmed up, you can start using your humor to and intelligence to win her over."

"Also, Keith, you better act like a gentleman. You're a bit hasty and rash at times." Wendy advised.

"Don't forget about the quick temper." Sven noted.

"Alright. I think I get it. But you can't guarantee I'll get the girl. Just look at me." Keith looked at his paws. "I-I'm a buizel."

"Yes but you have to make her see past that. Keith, you're a great friend to everyone. You're brave, adventurous, lively and you've got a good sense of humor." Wendy convinced.

"Better than Crawford's half the time." Sven snickered. "But Wen's right. Show this girl who you are. You're more than a buizel; you're a ranger!"

The door opened. It was Issac. Good! That meant the girl was on her way. Keith stood up straight and readied himself for her arrival.

"Sorry but we have a problem." Issac said.

"Problem?" Keith echoed.

"She's not coming to dinner." Issac told him in a quiet voice.

Keith was disappointed and hurt with a touch of anger. He slammed his paw on the wall in frustration.

"Why not?" Wendy asked.

"She appears to be ill." Issac answered. "Not too long ago, she was coughing violently. And she didn't move from the bed. Rhythmi and I assumed the girl would be alright until some blood was coughed up. We think it's better if she lies low for tonight."

The girl was sick? Keith felt bad for her. She was already sad and placed in an unfamiliar environment. Now this too?

"We understand." Wendy said.

"What now? Dinner's canceled?" Sven assumed.

Keith had an idea. "What if I take some soup up to her room?"

"Not a bad idea." Issac commented.

"An introduction plus helping the girl while she's sick does give you bonus points." Sven pointed out.

"I'll go tell Crawford and Luana. I can clean up this place with Sven too. Issac? Can you help Keith carry the soup to the girl's room?" Wendy directed.

Everyone had their job. In no time, there was a silver platter with a spoon and a bowl of hot soup. Keith and Issac carried the soup out of the dining room, through the hallways, up stairs and across the castle. Not easy for two small pokemon. Luckily, not a drop was spilled. Even though there were close calls, they managed to get to the girls room.

"Hi guys." Rhythmi greeted outside the room. "You brought soup? How sweet!"

"I just want to make sure the girl doesn't get hungry. How is she?" Keith asked.

"Super tired. The coughing isn't as rough as before." Rhythmi informed.

With the eevee and larivtar wishing him luck, Keith took a deep breath and entered the room. It was a nice room that had been cleaned up for the girls arrival. Nothing too fancy. Just a comfortable castle room with a little bit of white. In the queen-sized bed, under the cloud-white covers, was the girl.

"Um…h-hello?" Keith spoke up, shutting the door behind him with his tail.

There was a cough but nothing else. Keith nervously walked in. He got on a stool and set the tray on the nightstand. Remaining on the stool, Keith faced the girl. She was staring up at the ceiling with those dark, lifeless eyes. Normally, someone would probably be offput by this. Keith found it interesting. He was already starting to wonder what those eyes were like if they were filled with light.

Keith cleared his throat. "Hi. I-I'm Keith. It's nice to meet you."

Silence. The girl didn't speak or even look at him. Made Keith feel uncomfortable.

"You know, you really should eat something. It'll help you get better." Keith suggested.

Why wasn't this girl doing anything? It was as if she was a doll. Keith might as well have been talking to a brick wall. Man…what to do? Wait, wasn't she supposed to follow orders? If someone said to do something, the girl would do it? Granted Keith wouldn't boss her around or be strict. But he could use this to help her out.

"We really don't like to waste food here. So could you please eat? Even a little bit?" Keith requested.

The girl sat up in bed and swung her legs over the side. She carefully took the bowl and spoon, starting to eat. Keith was relieved. At least that worked. Good to know the girl would get something in her stomach. Though the buizel couldn't help noticing how skinny the girl was.

"So…" Keith spoke up. "Can you please tell me your name?"

A pause. The girl froze for a moment at the request. Her head bowed, staring at the ground.

"I-it's ok! You don't have to tell me!" Keith decided, hoping he didn't somehow offend her.

One more spoonful of soup was taken. Then the tray was put back on the nightstand and the girl started to climb back into bed, under the covers.

"Well, I still need to call you something. And since you won't tell me your name, I'll come up with one. At least until you're ready to say it! If you ever feel like it! Not trying to pressure you or anything!" Keith rambled. "You know, I think the name Kate suits you well. Does that sound good?"

As usual, no response.

"Alright then. I'll take it as a yes." Keith assumed. "My friends and I will check up on you every so often in case you need something. Just relax and get better soon. It was nice meeting you, Kate. I hope we can be friends."

Keith hoped to hear her say something. Anything! Even a sigh would be something. But the girl he now called Kate wasn't doing anything. Keith got off the stool and walked towards the door. He gave one last glance back at Kate. Those eyes couldn't have been pain-filled and gloomy all her life. There had to be a spirit within her; hiding and tormented. Keith knew there was something more to Kate. If he was going to get Kate to fall in love with him, he'd have to snap her out of that trance. After all, she was the Union's only hope.

With these thoughts and new determination, Keith left the room.

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Everyone in the Union heard about Kate quickly. News always did spread fast. But so she wasn't pressured by all this, only Keith and his close friends were allowed to see her. Kate was checked on every so often to make sure she had everything she needed. While she drank water at a regular rate, she barely ate a thing. Sometimes, Kate might go to her private bathroom to wash up but other than that, she never left bed. She either slept or stared at the ceiling with those faraway eyes.

"Two days…..TWO FREAKING DAYS!" Wendy groaned as she met with the others. "What is with her?!"

"She's prisoner in a strange castle with talking pokemon. You expect her to adjust so easily?" Rhythmi argued.

"Yeah!" Luana agreed. "Kate will be better soon!"

"Gotta hand it to ya, Keith. You're pretty patient with this." Crawford said.

For the past two days that Kate's stayed, the buizel had been a frequent visitor to Kate's room. He went with his friends when they checked on her. Sometimes, he'd go there alone. Keith would sit on the stool and tried to have a conversation. It was sort of a conversation…just one-sided. The buizel talked about his friends and tried to see if there were any hobbies Kate liked. He'd wait for a response of any kind. Then, after a moment of quiet, continue to talk. Kate didn't seem bothered. Then again, her expression didn't change at all so it was hard to tell what she was thinking. Though the efforts to chat and get a reply were fruitless, Keith kept trying. She'd open up sooner or later.

"I guess I just want to help." Keith shrugged. "I don't like seeing Kate this way so I'm doing what I can to get her out of this state."

"The only way you could earn Kate's love is if you wake her up from this daze she's in. You have no choice but to keep trying if we want this spell off." Issac advised.

"The sooner, the better." Sven said.

"And it better be soon. We don't have much time left." Wendy mentioned.

"Ooh! Oooooh! Idea!" Luana raised her paw. "Maybe she just needs a change in scenery! Fresh air and stuff!"

"Isn't it kind of cold out?" Keith asked.

That night, after Kate first came, a blizzard hit the forest. The grounds were covered in a blanket of snow with ice all over the place. It was a bit chilly but most pokemon had fur so they were alright. Still, the Union members preferred a cozy fireplace over exploring the woodland territory.

"I think it's a great idea! Kate can bundle up and one of us can go with her for a little hike." Crawford suggested. "Though you might want to count me out. I'm not good with cold weather."

"Same here." Wendy spoke up.

"That goes double for me." Issac sighed.

True. A treeko, staraptor and larvitar wouldn't do so well outdoors with the snow and ice.

"How about I take her?" Rhythmi offered. "Even operators get cooped up once in awhile."

"Rhythmi's optimism might rub off on Kate. It'll be good for the girls to bond." Issac said.

Everyone was in agreement. It was worth a shot. The pokemon all went their separate ways to do whatever. Keith and Rhythmi went to Kate's room to get her out of bed. After making sure she was warm enough, Rhythmi was guiding Kate through the castle. Meanwhile, Keith went another direction.

He walked around the castle and up to the old operators floor. There was the magic monitor. Keith typed the words 'Show me Rhythmi and Kate'. The monitor flickered for a minute, warming up from its long sleep. Then the screen glowed and revealed a picture. An eevee walking alongside a girl outside in the snow; Rhythmi and Kate.

Keith reclined in the chair and watched the monitor display the two girls walking along. They had started out close to the castle but Rhythmi was eager to go see the surrounding areas. She didn't exactly leave the castle often so it was natural the eevee wanted to explore. Usually, Rhythmi would be reading in the library or hanging out with her close friend, Issac the super genius. Sometimes both.

"Anyways, I guess I kind of like someone. He's real cute and very intelligent. I've never met anyone like him. Do you know what I mean?"

Girl gossip? Keith chuckled, knowing he had an advantage the next time he and Rhyth fought. Which may end up being sooner than one would think.

"See, I like him but I dunno if he likes me. We're close, true. And we have a lot in common. But a smart guy like him probably doesn't want anything more than friendship from someone like me." Rhythmi sighed. "…I must be REALLY boring you with this stuff! I'm so stupid! Topic change! What's your favorite book?"

"Ah, so there you are."

Issac entered the room. Keith moved over as the larvitar hopped onto the chair. They shared the spot and watched the screen. The buizel smirked a little, wondering what would've happened if Issac had come earlier and heard what Rhythmi said.

"Watching Rhythmi and Kate?" Issac said.

"I just wanted to see if Rhyth is helping Kate any." Keith told him.

"A friendly, gentle operator like her may be best." Issac noted.

"GENTLE?!" Keith choked on air. "That girl used take down on me after I pulled that waterbucket-over-door prank on her! And the follow-up shadow ball wasn't pretty either…"

Issac chuckled. "She is something, isn't she?"

There was a soft expression on his face as that was said. Keith may not be an expert in love (furthest thing from it) but he thought that maybe Issac was feeling what Rhythmi did. Both guys were watching the screen for awhile; Issac focused on Rhythmi as Keith stuck with Kate. Rhythmi was talking about some latias & latios legend story. As for Kate, nothing had changed. Still dark eyed and didn't utter a word.

"I know the castle's not exactly a pleasant place to be." Rhythmi changed subjects again. "But everyone inside it is nice and willing to help. We're all there for you and want to be your friend. If not me or the others, at least give Keith a chance. He's _very_ interested in you."

Keith rolled his eyes. Lovely. Rhythmi was talking about the buizel behind his back. At least she wasn't badmouthing him.

"Though he's impatient, clueless and sometimes goes way too far with competition or pranks…"

Nevermind. There it was.

"…he's someone you'd be proud to call your friend." Rhythmi continued.

That last part did make Keith feel a bit better. Though he often bickered with Rhythmi or teased her, they did sometimes get-along. Kind of like a sibling rivalry.

SSHHKKK!

There was a popping sound that suddenly rang through the air. Rhythmi looked around, trying to figure out where it came from. The boys didn't look around their area but they were also wondering what that sound was.

CRAAAACK!

Now it was a cracking sound that vibrated through the area. Rhythmi was slightly on edge from the intimidating noise. Keith was speculating what this noise could be when he made an observation. The girls had been in a forest; now the trees suddenly stopped. They were out in the open snow. There were no open fields or patches in the woods surrounding the Union area. Just a…

BOOM! SPLASH!

Rhythmi screamed as the ground exploded in a mass of snow, ice and water. In seconds, they disappeared. Where they stood was now broken ice and a large space of water. More ice was breaking apart with more water revealed. Rhythmi and Kate had wandered onto a lake.

Keith was struck terrified. "Issac! Get Wendy and meet me at the lake!"

"R-right!" Issac replied, just as scared.

The guys took off. Issac went to search for Wendy while Keith scrambled through the castle. At one point, the buizel didn't bother going the long way. He jumped out the window to the ledge, hopped to other ledges, scaled down the vines and landed on the ground. Keith charged into the woods, remembering exactly where the girls went. Not hard to find them. Their footprints were fresh in the snow and would lead the way.

"Kate, please be ok." Keith thought. "For heavens sake, please be ok!"

It had taken the girls awhile to get to the lake while Keith arrived in a matter of minutes. Rhythmi was rapidly bobbing her head up for air only to get dragged by the water. Keith grabbed her paw and yanked her onto land. He'd have to check on her later. At the moment, Keith didn't see Kate. And that could only mean she went under.

Keith's heart skipped a beat. He jumped from the land and dove straight into the water. Diving down, Keith found Kate. She was sinking, slowly drowning. The buizel used his superior swimming to chase after her. His paws grabbed hold of Kate's arms and started swimming back up. Swimming down had been much easier than going back up due to Keith having to drag the girl. Still, Keith didn't dare quit. He put every ounce of strength into pulling Kate to safety.

Keith gasped as he reached surface, helping Kate's head stay above water. Yes buizels could breathe underwater but Keith had forgotten about that aspect numerous times. At some moments, he almost forgot he was a pokemon. Especially now since all he thought about was Kate.

On the shore were Wendy, Issac and Sven. Wendy and Sven helped get Keith and Kate out of the water as Issac was helping Rhythmi. Once Kate was on land, Keith panted from the excessive work-out and looked over the unconscious girl.

Kate's skin was whiter than before and even then it was super pale. You could almost see the veins clearly. Her eyes were closed. Pulse was slow and she barely breathed. Keith pushed the center of her chest to make the water cough back up. Still, her condition wasn't good.

"You and Kate get on me. I'll take us back to the castle in no time." Wendy said. "Issac and Rhythmi go with Sven."

Keith did as asked. Wendy shot into the sky the second Kate and Keith were on her back. Kate seemed to be getting worse. Her skin was growing colder and breathing was hard for her. Keith held her close to his small buizel self, hoping that she wouldn't slip away.

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Rhythmi felt as though her mind was lost in vast nothingness; drifting away. Her consciousness had been numbed. What happened? The last thing she remembered was the ground disappearing before her paws. Now it almost felt like she was in limbo. Voices drifted through her head but she couldn't catch what they said. Though there was one voice she could easily tell who it belonged to. It was this voice that made Rhythmi pull herself through the emptiness. There was a light. And she went towards it, finding her way out and going towards the voice.

"Rhythmi?"

The eevee moaned. She could feel her body again though it was somewhat sore. Her energy felt drained away. It took a lot of strength to open her eyes. Sight was blurry but it soon focused on a bedroom. Rhythmi was in a bed with multiple layers of heavy blankets and….a white lab coat? Hold up, this was Issac's coat. He wore it all the time as a human. This particular coat was even special since his little sister messily stitched Issac's name on the inside. Issac wore it for special occasions and treasured it.

"Rhythmi, thank goodness…"

Issac was sitting on the end of the bed, looking relieved.

"Issac?" Rhythmi's voice was weak.

"You and Kate accidentally fell into the lake. If Keith and I hadn't been watching on the magic monitor, you two would've drowned." Issac explained. "Kate's downstairs at the fireplace with the others watching after her. Meanwhile, I attended to you. Do you feel alright?"

"I think so." Rhythmi said. "Why did you give me your coat?"

"I had to make sure you were warm enough." Issac answered.

"Yes but this is your special coat." Rhythmi coughed.

Issac hesitated, sheepish. "…you _are_ a special girl, after all."

Even in her weakened state, Rhythmi found herself blushing. Issac mentioned getting Rhythmi soup and something to drink before leaving; his face looked warm. The eevee smiled, knowing with someone as caring as Issac, she'd get better in no time. Snuggling the white coat, Rhythmi let herself fall back asleep.

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Kate had been knocked out for several hours, hovering between life and death. Keith attended to her during the entire time. He made sure the fireplace was hot enough and made sure Kate rested a good, safe distance from it. She was wrapped in two blankets. Keith tried to massage her arms, rubbing off the frostbite that got to her. When he wasn't doing that, he curled up beside her.

Even Keith's friends helped out however they could. Crawford was making soup and made a hot water bottle for Kate's head. When the water got cold, he boiled more water to replace it. Sven delivered supplies and assisted the treeko in the kitchen since Luana was temporarily banned from there. At some point, the pokemon realized that Kate's clothes were still soaking wet and it might be better if they got her into dry clothes. Wendy went off to find an outfit while Luana would help Kate change. Keith was ordered to turn around and not look; something he had no problem with. It did feel a little awkward for him though, knowing Kate was changing right behind him.

"OH MY GOSH…" Luana gasped, shocked.

Keith was tempted to turn around. But he knew not too.

"Keith?" Luana spoke up, nervous. "I think you should see this."

The buizel slowly looked and froze on sight. Kate had on a tank top and shorts under her clothes so nothing explicit was shown. Even if they weren't there, that was nothing compared to what Keith saw. All over her arms and neck were dark bruises and deep red gashes. Luana pulled the tank top to reveal a long scar stretched across her stomach and a slightly smaller one just before her chest. Though they didn't look, the buneary and buizel could tell there were more on her back. Kate's neck held marks as well, as if something grabbed her and held her neck tightly.

"What the hell...?" Keith whispered, horrified.

So that was why Kate covered up in those clothes. She was hiding the injuries. Many injuries that ranged in colors, shapes and sizes. Some looked new while others seemed to have been there for years. The truth was clear; Kate had been abused. And that had to be the reason why she was always sad and lifeless.

"Poor girl." Luana quietly said. "She must've gone through so much."

Keith frowned, feeling resolve rise within him. "Well that ends now. Kate is here with us and I'll take care of her. She will never have to suffer through anything like that again."

Wendy came back with clothes which Luana changed Kate into. Sven arrived with a pillow as Crawford came with a new hot water bottle. As the night grew late, everyone went off to bed. Keith stayed with Kate, tending to her every need. He made sure she was warm enough and that she'd be ok. The buizel rested himself beside Kate as he grew sleepy.

"Don't worry Kate. You're safe with me." Keith murmured. "Good night."

As he started to fall asleep, Keith felt something on his head. He wasn't quite sure but he could've sworn that it was a hand.

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In Pueltown, a small shop was closing up for the night. Kincaid swept the floors after he finished dealing with the last customer. Sales weren't bad at all. Getting a little better each month. Of course, he was still a little sour that he had to clean up the shop himself. Had to handle all the chores now that his daughter was gone.

Ding! Ding-a-ling!

"We're closed." Kincaid said, not looking up.

"You wouldn't keep out your future son-in-law, would you?"

Kincaid knew that voice. It was a voice he usually liked to hear but now dreaded it. A young man strolled through the hairspray shop. His hair was like a wintery blue with icicle-like style. The semi-regal outfit was a deep blue with white accents. Kincaid stood at attention. This wasn't any ordinary man, after all. Ice was the leader of a secret underground army known as Dim Sun. An army which would soon rise to power in Almia.

"W-what brings you here so late?" Kincaid asked.

"I've come to make sure all is well." Ice replied. "I'd come sooner but I've been practicing my…abilities."

Abilities. Kincaid gulped. Those abilities scared him. But those same abilities would provide the man help and give him a good amount of power one day.

"Have you been able to find sakura trees we needed for our plan?" Ice questioned.

"Unfortunately, no. I've researched and I've found that Almia does not have sakura trees. I tried to look myself during a small trip. There was this sinister forest with a gigantic castle deep inside. There was a sakura tree on top so I tried grabbing the peta-…" Kincaid rambled.

"Hold it." Ice stopped him. "A castle deep inside a forest? Sinister energy in the air? Dead trees, heavy fog and almost too easy to get lost? Is this place in the west side of Almia?"

"Y-yes!" Kincaid nodded.

"Where there talking pokemon?" Ice asked.

"They were what scared me off!" Kincaid told him. "I had no choice but to leave!"

Ice pondered this. He seemed very interested in this topic. A small smirk flashed on his face for a couple seconds before going back to its original look.

"Fair enough. This part of the plan isn't entirely important. If we don't have the petals, we don't have them." Ice shrugged.

"So I'm not in trouble?" Kincaid cautiously asked.

"Not at all." Ice answered. "It would have made our plan easier and we'd be finished sooner but if we don't have the sakura petals, we don't have them. And it's too much to send someone to another region to get them. We'll proceed to the next step."

Kincaid relaxed hearing this. Good!

"Now then, where's my future bride? I see she isn't cleaning up like she's supposed to, lazy twit." Ice spoke.

Gulp. That wasn't good! Kincaid shivered, knowing the truth would come out sooner or later. And the rage would be with it.

"M-my daughter? She's not…here." Kincaid's voice was as shaky as he was.

"Well I can see that, you noob." Ice rolled his eyes. "Go get her."

"Thing is? I…can't." Kincaid admitted.

Ice's brows furrowed. "And what do you mean by that?"

"At the castle, the talking pokemon refused to let me go. They ordered me to surrender my daughter. I keep her prisoner there, she's free to go." Kincaid told him.

"YOU IDIOT!" Ice grabbed Kincaid's neck. "HOW DARE YOU GIVE MY FUTURE WIFE TO THOSE…THOSE….BEASTS!"

"GACK!" Kincaid choked. "I-I had to! Your…plan! Your plan….can't function…without me! P-Plus…I figured…maybe later we can….ACK!"

"You figured what? We steal her back?" Ice spat. "….actually, not too bad an idea."

Kincaid was slammed to the counter and released. Ice paced the floors, flipping his hair while the middle aged man tried to catch his breath.

"Alright. We'll move on ahead with the plans. I'm going to spend some time working on my special abilities." Ice said. "And when I say so, we'll storm the castle with the army to get my bride back. Maybe kill off some of those talking pokemon while we're at it."

"As you wish…" Kincaid gagged, still trying to recover.

With another hair flip, Ice walked out of the store. Kincaid got back up. Unable to clean the shop in his tired, sore state, he went back to his apartment upstairs. The place was already messy without his daughter being able to clean it. But that was ok. She'd be back soon. And she'd be marrying Ice, the dominant and rich boss of Dim Sun, and Kincaid would be in a spot of power as well.

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It was morning; another day had come. Sunlight peaked through the windows, hitting Keith's eyes. He groaned from the brightness as he slowly woke up. His buizel body stretched as he gave a big yawn. Keith looked over to see how Kate was doing.

Her skin color was less pale than before. And Kate seemed to be sleeping much easier. Keith relaxed, seeing she was going to be ok after all. No worries. Once she woke up, Keith would try to offer her some breakfast and maybe give her a tour around the castle. Just the two of them. Assuming his match-making friends didn't interfere (though the odds of that were good).

Kate's eyes flickered. Keith watched them slowly open as the girl woke up. There was a new, startling observation the buizel made about her eyes. Not long before, those eyes were filled with pain, misery and shadows that haunted her. Now those eyes had changed. They were a striking cerulean color that reminded Keith of clear blue sky. There were still traces of darkness and not much light in the blue shade. Still, Keith was liking this a LOT. Those eyes were pulling him in.

"M-morning!" He managed to say. "Are you feeling better?"

A head nod. YES! Finally, a response! Keith was glad to have Kate communicate, even if she still clammed up.

"I think the others might be up. You want breakfast?" Keith offered.

Kate shook her head no.

"Not hungry? Alright. But at least have some orange juice. Please?" Keith advised.

She thought about it. Then nodded her head. Keith noticed that Kate was looking more animated than before. The girl had some life to her. Her face had softened from an exhausting, miserable expression. Kate had a look of inquisitiveness and interest.

"Let's go to the kitchen then!" Keith said.

Kate got up from the floor and followed the buizel. Keith was trying hard not to be over-excited about the progress. As the two got to the dining hall, the others realized something was up. Kate was better than ever and giving replies while showing some emotion on her face. Not to mention Keith grinning like an idiot. Luana and Crawford chatted with Kate who listened. Meanwhile, Sven was pushing Keith into the kitchen with Wendy, Issac and Rhythmi following.

"Dude, what did you do to her?" Sven questioned.

"Yeah! Kate's starting to open u-…AACHOOO!" Rhythmi sneezed.

Everyone, confused, looked to Issac as Rhythmi sniffled.

"Minor cold. She'll be fine in a day or two." The larvitar assured.

"Must be the dip she and Kate took yesterday." Wendy said. "Whatever. Back to the previous conversation, I can't believe Kate's warming up to us! Seriously, Keith? What'd you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" Keith told her.

"He did take care of her all last night." Issac pointed out.

"Giving her blankets, massaging away the frostbite on her arms, sticking close to her all through the night…" Rhythmi listed.

"Sounds like you really care about her." Sven smirked.

Keith's face was warm. "…maybe."

"Awwwww!" Rhythmi clapped, excited. "So cute!"

"IT'S NOT CUTE!" Keith snapped, embarrassed.

"That's it then! Kate's definitely the one to set us free!" Wendy said.

"Yeah but I haven't exactly won her over yet." Keith told her.

"Right. Not _yet_." Sven corrected. "But you will. Help Kate open up some more. Learn everything you can about her and use it to your advantage. Become her best friend. From there, the feelings will grow."

Wendy stared at him. "Since when the heck did _you_ know anything about love?"

Sven smirked, saying nothing more. Why did Keith sense something was up? Oh well. The luxray was right. In order to make Kate fall in love with a buizel, that said buizel would have to do whatever he could to help Kate heal from her dark past and get close to her. Kate might not speak but that doesn't mean Keith couldn't learn more about her.

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Once breakfast was done, Keith took Kate and gave her a tour. Luana was happy to see they were getting along so well. Ah, love. It was in the air! How sweet! The buneary hopped to the kitchen to see Crawford finished washing the last of the dishes.

"Hey Luana!" The treeko greeted, coming over. "You seem a bit _bouncy_ today."

Luana giggled. "Cause I'm a buneary? Nice one!"

"Speaking of bouncy, how's that move working out?" Crawford asked.

"Not much luck." Luana sighed. "I don't get up too high. And when I do, I crash into something before I come down."

"Really? Let me see." Crawford said.

"Alrighty! Here we go!" Luana took a deep breath. "BOUNCE!"

Her buneary legs wound up like a spring and then shot up straight into the air. Wow! High up!

BAM!

…forgot about the ceiling. Dizzy Luana started falling to the ground.

"Luana!"

WHAM!

Huh. The floor didn't feel hard. Landing was very soft. Oh wait. Luana had landed on top of Crawford.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Luana quickly apologized.

"No biggie…" Crawford groaned. "I guess we should've thought that through, eh?"

Luana smiled a bit. At least she had a great friend like Crawford. Be it ranger or pokemon, he always had her back. Luana tried to get up….but couldn't.

"What the…?" She mumbled, puzzled.

The buneary was trying to pull herself from Crawford yet wasn't able too. His treeko skin had gotten moist and his paws (what helped treekos climb walls) were sticky. It was like glue!

"Uh oh!" Luana gulped.

"There must be a change in the weather coming sometime soon. And my skin change is trying to alert me of it!" Crawford nervously told her.

"Get me off!" Luana yelped, feeling part of her fur rip off.

The two pokemon were trying to pry themselves off each other. However this proved to be quite the task. The more they pulled away from the other, the more stuck together they would be. They'd get closer and closer each time.

Luana could feel her entire face grow red. Her insides were in knots and she felt flustered all of a sudden. Just looking at Crawford made her anxious. Why was she feeling this way? How could this happen? And why did Luana think that if Crawford grinned, even a little, she'd lose it? Aw man! This was bad!

"Luana? Crawford? What's going on here?"

Issac entered the kitchen.

"Issac!" Crawford yelped.

"Pull us loose!" Luana pleaded.

"Must be a change in weather soon." Issac noted. "Alright then. Watch yourselves."

The larivtar used the move chip away to pry the duo away from each other. Yes! It felt great to have space again! And the awkwardness was starting to drift away.

"By the way, have you seen Rhythmi?" Issac asked.

"I think she was going to ask Wendy something then head for the library." Crawford replied.

Issac thanked him and left.

"Whew!" Crawford wiped his forehead. "That was weird for a moment."

"Sure was…" Luana agreed, shook up from what happened.

"But you gotta admit, that was kind of funny." Crawford chuckled.

There it was; his smile. Luana was right. She was going to lose it. BIG TIME. Not even a second later, there was a buneary passed out on the floor with a treeko standing over her, wondering what the hell just happened.

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"And then over here in this wing is more storage stuff…"

Keith spent his morning plus part of the afternoon showing Kate around the castle. He'd give her whatever information he knew and talked about his friends. Kate would patiently nod to what he said, acknowledging that she listened. Her face was alert and curious; not bored whatsoever. She was a bit shy meeting the other Union members who greeted them, shrinking back with an uncertain look to her face. Keith assured her everything was fine. He thought she was sort of cute when she was shy or looked interested in particular rooms on the tour. She seemed to like the library quite a bit. Maybe they'd hang out there later.

There was an old storage room Keith hadn't been in since…well…ever. Why not peak in there? The buizel jumped to the doorknob and opened the door. It wasn't too big a room. Mostly boxes, wrinkled papers and random assortment of items. All with a tiny layer of dust. Kate sneezed, waving the dust away from her face. She took a look around. Keith was going to lead her to the next place when something caught the girls eye.

A very old wardrobe was in the corner. Kate seemed to want to see what was in it. She navigated around the boxes with Keith following behind. Her hand reached out to pull the doors open. Kate gasped. Inside, hanging neatly on a hanger, was a ranger uniform.

"Huh." Keith spoke. "Haven't seen one of those in awhile."

Kate stared at the uniform with a hand over her slightly open mouth. It was obvious she was shocked but there was more to this. The girl looked fascinated by the ranger if she was staring at a mew or something. Kate's skinny fingers carefully felt the material as she continued to look over the clothing. Keith could tell there was something going on in her mind.

"Would you like to try it on?" He offered.

The girl spun around, looking at Keith in surprise. Her expression basically said 'Really? You'd let me wear this?'.

"I bet you'd look great in that." Keith said. "I'll give you a minute or two to change."

The buizel left the room, shutting the door behind him. He waited several minutes. After he was sure Kate had changed, Keith entered back into the room. The sight that awaited him was incredible. Kate looked in a nearby mirror, seeing how she looked. She was amazing in that uniform. It fit her perfectly. And the way she lit up, seeing herself dressed this way. That made Keith grin.

"Wow…" Keith whispered, in complete awe.

Kate heard and faced him.

"You look striking in the uniform." Keith told her. "It's as if you were meant to wear it."

The girl was a bit pink in the face from the compliment. So adorable. Keith felt his heart thump against his chest rapidly as he watched her mouth curve into that sensational smile. Seeing Kate wear the uniform was great but seeing Kate smiling made Keith feel special. He got to Kate to smile! It felt like a grand accomplishment!

Kate held her own clothes, signaling to Keith she'd change back. Keith waited outside and, after several minutes, she came back.

"You know, Kate, you're welcome to wear that uniform anytime you want." Keith said.

There it was; the smile. It was driving Keith crazy just seeing it. He wanted Kate to keep smiling and to always be happy. Keith found himself making those things his personal mission. Though if Kate could smile, could she laugh? Talk? What kind of thoughts and stories hid behind those eyes of hers?

Keith jumped up on a table nearby. "Hey Kate? I was wondering something. Can you talk?"

The smile was gone. Kate seemed a bit tentative, touching her neck. She was a little tense. Perhaps she could. Question was, will she?

"Try speaking." Keith requested.

Kate didn't like that. She took a step back.

"Please, Kate? For me?" Keith begged, pressing his paws together. "No one is here but us. And I won't tell anyone else that you spoke, if you want. Please say something. Anything."

Kate looked away, thinking about it. She made eye contact again with Keith as she took a deep breath. Her mouth opened, ready to speak….

The girl froze. Her eyes went wide and face was drained of blood. Her body trembled, fearing something. Kate put her hands over her mouth before falling to her knees, crying.

"KATE!" Keith exclaimed.

He leapt down from the table and came to her side. Tears spilled down Kate's face as her eyes held a frightful, faraway gaze to them. Keith remembered this happening to a classmate of his back in school. Some girl had a traumatizing past with occasional flashbacks. She had an emotional breakdown at one point; in front of the entire school. Keith recognized that Kate was having flashbacks of her own.

"Aw Kate….I'm sorry." Keith quietly apologized. "I didn't mean to make you remember anything bad. It was selfish of me to ask you to do that."

The buizel reached his paw up to touch one of her hands. Kate's hand fell to the ground, beside Keith.

"I guess my friends were right when I was impatient and clueless." Keith continued. "Hey, you don't have to speak if you don't want to. If you're ever ready to talk, I promise I'll listen. I'm always going to be there for you. Ok?"

Kate recovered from the shock. She nodded, trying to wipe the tears away. There was a yawn.

"You look tired. How about I walk you to your room and you can rest until dinner?" Keith suggested.

Kate agreed to the idea. She got up and walked there with Keith by her side. Keith was at ease, finding Kate was getting better. Hopefully, the nap would put her in a better mood again. They arrived at Kate's door. Keith courteously got the door for her.

"If you ever need anything, just ask. I'm there for you and so are our friends." Keith told her. "Rest easy."

The girl bent down and scratched Keith's head. He couldn't help but purr. That felt so good! Kate flashed another smile before going into her room and closing the door. Keith was left in a very positive mood. His friends were noticing their buizel friend humming slightly as he passed by in the halls.

"I think it's going well!" Rhythmi squealed.

"No kidding. Just look at him!" Wendy agreed.

"I can almost imagine a musical number…" Crawford started saying.

"Author said no songs or dance numbers in this story." Issac interrupted. "But I think we can all see that Keith and Kate are making good progress. It's only a matter of time before their feelings accelerate into love."

"So cute!" Luana gushed.

"Hey Lu? What happened to your head?" Sven asked, looking at the bandage wrapped around Luana's head.

"I've noticed that too." Wendy commented.

Luana was getting edgy. "N-n-nothing!"

"Crawford?" Issac turned to the treeko.

"Don't look at me!" Crawford held his paws up defensively. "I have no idea what happened."

Rhythmi, sensing something was up, spoke up again. "So what's next? Should we do something to help Keith get the girl?"

"Not quite yet." Sven answered. "Let those two get closer so the feelings blossom. In the meantime, we'll give our buizel support and watch what happens."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

For the next few days, things were getting better. Kate still didn't eat too much and was quiet. But she wasn't as shy with her pokemon friends as before. She listened to what they had to say and helped out whenever needed. Kate helped out Crawford and Luana in the kitchen once or twice. The girl hung out with Rhythmi and Issac in the library to read books; usually ones with fantasy and adventure. She'd walk as Wendy flew next to her, chatting about this and that. Kate seemed to respect Wendy a lot; like an older sister or a role model. As for Sven, Kate respected him too though they didn't hang out as much. Everyone came to like her and understand how she silently communicated or what she liked/disliked.

However, it was Keith who spent the most time with her. They had already become the best of friends in short time. Keith showed Kate every part of the castle. He even let her try out the magic monitor to spy on their friends. They walked around the castle and talked….ok, Keith talked while Kate listened. Sometimes, Kate would put on the ranger uniform for a few minutes; always impressed with the uniform itself and in high spirits when she wore it. The two did random stuff together such as drawing, racing each other through the hallways, trying to slide down the staircase railing (ultimate fail when they fell off and tumbled down the rest of the steps), listening to music on a worn-out radio and pretending to explore the castle as if it was another world. Both always had fun being with the other.

On one day, Keith craved fresh air and exercise outdoors. Kate bundled herself up in warmer gear before they went outside. They built a snow-pikachu and tried to make snow angels (something neither were good at). At one point, Keith felt something hit the back of his head. He whirled around to see Kate several feet away, mutely giggling. Keith smirked, getting what was going on. So that girl had mischievous, playful side to her. Fine then. Two can play at that game. Keith scooped up snow into his paws and created a snowball. With a mighty arm thrust, the buizel threw the snowball at Kate. She dodged and struck Keith with another snowball. Keith tried to get back at her…

WHOOSH!

From a tree, a pile of snow fell on top of him. The buizel dug himself out, dazed but otherwise fine. Out of the blue, a sweet sound flowed through the air. Keith looked to see where the noise came from. It was Kate! She was laughing! Keith stood in place, gaping at her. What a musical laugh she had; so full of life. His heart and soul were warmed as he listened to her.

They went inside after some time and sat by the fire. As they tried to keep warm and dry off, Keith continued to talk with Kate. Though most of the time, he was trying to get her to laugh again. Kate had giggled a few times. Having her laugh meant progress was way up. She'd heal her injured spirit in no time. Perhaps, if Keith was lucky, he might hear her speak.

Every night, Keith would escort Kate to her bedroom. She'd say goodnight by scratching his head or under his chin (something the buizel enjoyed very much). Keith would talk to his friends about random topics before going to bed himself. Even in his sleep, all he could think about was Kate.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

KERPOW!

There was a stormy night. It happened not long after Kate laughed more often and started to show she had a cheerful side. The flash of lightning and loud crack of thunder woke Keith up from his sleep.

"Damn…" He muttered.

With noises this loud, he'd never get back to sleep. The buizel would have to wait till the worst part of the storm was over. But it was boring to just lie in bed and wait. Keith couldn't stand boredom. He decided to have a little walk around the castle.

It was always somewhat creepy at night. The whole place was almost completely dark. Pokemon were sleeping away. Keith could hear an old clock chime, signaling a new hour in the night has come. He tried to listen to how many chimes there were but another roar of thunder made him lose count.

"Keith? You up too?"

Sven came over to him. Luxrays loved being around thunderstorms. And being a luxray himself, Sven must've woken up to listen to the sounds of the storms and enjoy some solitude.

"Yeah. Couldn't sleep." Keith yawned.

"Neither can Kate, apparently." Sven said.

"What?" Keith responded.

"I walked past her room and heard her get up. Though something seems to be off. You might want to check on her." Sven advised.

"Thanks." Keith said.

The buizel hustled down to where Kate's room was. Carefully opening the door, he instantly heard whimpering. Kate under her blankets, curled up in a ball. Another burst of loud thunder make her yelp and shiver uncontrollably. Keith felt his heart ache as he watched her. He couldn't stand to see Kate like this. With a leap onto the stool, Keith jumped from there to the bed and came to Kate's side. He peeked under the blankets to see Kate's petrified.

"Kate?" Keith spoke.

Her breaths were as shaky as the rest of her. Kate looked at Keith with wide eyes, as if pleading for help. Tears were beginning to form. Hating to see her this way, Keith stroked her head softly with his paw.

KERPOW!

Kate screamed for a second, startled again by thunder. In a swift movement, she grabbed Keith and yanked him under the covers. Her arms wrapped around his buizel body, holding him like a stuffed animal. Keith was stunned at first. But he found himself stroking her arm and trying to purr like a buizel would, hoping it'd calm Kate down.

"It's ok. Everything will be alright." Keith whispered. "I'm here for you. I'll always be here to protect you. Don't worry."

It seemed to be working. Keith's comforting was starting calm Kate down. She began to breathe easier and her tight grip loosened. A couple tears slipped past her eyes but no crying whatsoever. Thunder came less often as the storm settled down. Kate tensed up several times at the sound but relaxed.

Keith had planned on going back to his room after the girl felt better but he didn't want to abandon her. That and Kate was snuggling with him. Her arms were warm, soft and radiated life. It was comforting Keith as much as he comforted her. Couldn't hurt to rest here for tonight. The two were relaxed and almost asleep when the buizel heard something.

"Thank you, Keith."

It was faint but Keith heard it nonetheless. Kate spoke to him. Heck, SHE TALKED! After trying to get her to open up more and hear that voice say something, Keith finally heard her! And Kate's first words to him felt almost…magical. Hearing his name coming from her was truly wonderful. Keith's heart was beating fast from mere excitement.

Together, the two of them serenely fell asleep.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

It was useful being a luxray; you'd get enhanced vision that could see through walls and let you do some spying. Sven smirked as he briefly watched Keith get cozy next to Kate. Ah young love. That kiss was going to happen soon.

Sven, sensing the storm was calming, decided to go back to his room for some rest. He was feeling keyed up, knowing the curse would be broken soon. Soon Sven would be back to his human form again. Everyone in the Union assumed Sven would go straight back to his ways once that happened. And considering his past, it was easy to guess that. But Sven had other ideas. He didn't want dozens of pretty girls and a couple nights of wild fun. No, he wanted a long-term relationship. A _very_ long-term relationship; with a particular girl in mind.

The luxray entered his room. He made sure to be quiet coming back inside. Wendy was sleeping away, blissfully unaware of the storm that had been here. Sven watched her closely for a moment. Hard to believe a staraptor like her could look so peaceful in her sleep. It always made the guy grin.

Yes, the girl Sven wanted was Wendy. He longed to be with her and make her his. And it's been his wish for the longest of times.

When they first met, as humans years ago, the two rangers were best friends. They were close as they went on missions, handled patrol and went on thrilling adventures. Back then, Sven was a bit of a ladies man. Ok, maybe a 'bit' is an understatement. Relationships with him never lasted longer than a week. He liked to have variety in the women he dated. So Sven would easily hook up with a girl (how hard could it be with his rugged looks?), went on dates, had some fun and then moved on to the next girl. Wendy didn't mind. She rolled his eyes at the methods but remained his friend and hung out with them whenever he didn't have date nights. In the past, Sven thought of her as nothing more than a close friend who was a sarcastic tomboy and had excellent ranger skills.

Then came the curse. Sven was shell-shocked from the whole event. His devastatingly handsome looks? Gone. It took awhile for him to adjust to being a luxray with these strange abilities. Just as it was difficult for Wendy to adjust to a bird body and learn to fly. They had to work together to help one another. Through the chaos and pain, Sven and Wendy were there for each other.

With the curse on them, the partners hung out more often. They were getting used to this situation while helping their friends out too. As Sven spent more time with Wendy, he discovered all sorts of details to her. Such as how her sarcasm held a good dose of humor and how intelligent she was. Wendy was a strong girl; as a ranger and pokemon. She was the emotional support for her friends. That staraptor was courageous, sassy and stubborn. There was so many sides to Wendy. Sven had noticed everything.

Every part that made the girl who she was, Sven loved. Yeah, the player had fallen in love. Hard to believe it but it happened. Sven found himself fantasizing what Wendy might look like as a human now that it was almost three years. He wanted to flirt with her and make her fall for him. Wendy wouldn't be a quick fling. Sven would make sure she'd stick around for a long time.

Sometimes, Sven would debate over whether to tell her how he felt before they were back to human form. Before Kate, their future was uncertain. It had been possible the curse would never be broken. And that meant Sven would stay a lion pokemon and Wendy would be a bird. How would that work? Sven couldn't embrace her or hold her hand. Wendy didn't even have lips. They'd never be able to kiss. Their relationship would be near impossible. Though even if they were human, who's to say Wendy would return his feelings?

Tired, Sven laid down and tried to get some shut-eye. Like all the nights before, the last thing he saw was his resting partner.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Yawwwwn…"

"Well good morning sleepy head."

Keith was groggy as he came down to the dining room. He met everyone else at the table, where they deviously grinned at him.

"Anything happen last night?" Rhythmi questioned.

"Uh…nothing that I can think of." Keith replied, confused.

He got some water and started drinking it.

"Really?" Rhythmi raised an eyebrow. "Rumor has it you were very cozy with Kate last night. VERY cozy."

Keith blinked once. Twice. He drank some more water before realizing what Rhythmi meant. Right on cue, spit take.

"HOW DID YOU….?!" Keith turned red.

"Busted!" Crawford laughed. "Sven saw you two sleeping together!"

"DAMN YOU AND YOUR X-RAY VISION!" Keith snapped at Sven (who snickered). "And I wasn't sleeping with her! Just next to her!"

"But it's so sweet!" Luana clapped happily.

"I was just trying to help Kate out. She's scared of thunder." Keith muttered.

"That will be helpful in trying to get close to her." Issac said.

"I think after last night, he can't get any closer." Crawford joked.

There was some more chuckles around the table. Keith pouted, silently drinking his water and trying (but failing) to hide his embarrassment. It wasn't long before the door opened and someone came in. Kate. She was much better than last night. Keith saw she had on a slight smile and her eyes seemed to change again. No darkness or shadows hid in there. Her eyes were blue without the slightest trace of anguish.

"Good morning Kate." Keith greeted.

"Um…m-morning, Keith." Kate responded, shyly.

The other pokemon froze. They couldn't believe it. Everyone was looking at each other to see if they heard it too, then at the buizel. Kate sat down by Keith as always. After recovering from the initial shock, the pokemon got Kate some orange juice and started talking. The pigtailed girl wasn't as chatty as everyone else though she did occasionally say something.

Once breakfast was over, Kate and Keith went off to the castle library to hang out. After spending days talking so much, Keith wanted to listen to Kate for once. He found himself wanting to learn more about her. The buizel asked all sorts of questions about Kate and her life.

He found out that he shared some interests with her; favorite food was pizza, liked reading manga, being with pokemon and preferred windy day weather. Kate had always wanted to go to the beach. Her hobby was reading and sometimes drawing although she did wish to explore. Then Keith asked her about her dream. Kate's face lit up as she started to talk about the one dream Keith did not expect her to have; to be a ranger. The girl was going on about how she loved what rangers did and that she wanted to be one of them. Her dream was to keep Almia safe and make the world a better place. Kate had this determination to her that made Keith smile. Now the buizel understood why she got along so well with other pokemon and how she reacted to that ranger uniform.

"So what stopped you?" Keith asked. "Erk! Unless it was being here at the castle!"

Kate looked away as her joy faded away. "…the rangers disappeared."

Oh yeah. Right. Keith felt like face-palming.

"Nobody knows where they went. It happened right before I could go to ranger school. The rangers, the Union and the school itself vanished. No trace of them anywhere. They've been gone for almost three years." Kate mumbled. "And…and nobody thinks they're coming back."

Did Almia citizens really think that? Had they given up on the rangers returning? Through the monitor, Keith knew that things in Almia weren't going so well nowadays. There was some underground organization called Dim Sun ready to take over the region (and possibly the world). Had the Union not been under this curse, they'd be on it. In this condition though, they couldn't do a damn thing.

"I'm sure the rangers will come back, Kate." Keith assured. "Have faith in them."

She had no idea she was surrounded by rangers, operators and mechanics in the Union building. Nor did Kate know that she'd be the one to bring them back.

"May I ask something?" Keith tried to change the topic. "I keep calling you Kate. Everyone does."

"I don't mind at all." Kate said.

"Good. But I'm curious. What's your real name?" Keith asked.

Kate stared at him. "Y-you really want to know?"

"Of course I do." Keith said.

There was a long pause. Kate didn't seem sure whether she should tell him her name. Soon enough, she sighed.

"It." Kate confessed in a low, nervous tone. "My name is It."

"_It_?" Keith blinked, confused. "Um, why It?"

"The name was chosen by my father." Kate told him before staring out the window with a faraway look.

Keith knew Kate was abused and her father didn't exactly seem pleasant when he came to the castle. Kate didn't talk about the past or family. There seemed to be an entire story behind the girl.

"Do you have a mother?" Keith asked.

"I did." Kate sadly answered.

"Did she pass away from illness? Accident?" Keith questioned.

Kate's lip quivered. The question was hard for her.

"Kate, you're my closest friend. I want to help you." Keith softly told her, slipping a paw on her hand. "Tell me what happened. I promise this will stay between us; I swear. Please, Kate, let me help you heal."

Silence. Several minutes ticked by. Would she open up? Keith waited as the tension in the air was heavy.

"She died."

Kate squeezed Keith's paw as her eyes stared out the window with sadness.

"My mom…was killed." She confessed. "B-by my father."

A pause. The girl took a deep breath.

"Mom was abused by dad. She died when I was 6. Then I was the target." Kate went on. "I've been hit, kicked, slashed, burned, stabbed…a-and more. There are scars everywhere but the face and hands. Father did that so that for when I went to the store and so I wouldn't look ugly for my betrothed."

"Your be-WHAT?!" Keith exclaimed, choking on air.

"My father works for Dim Sun as an executive. His boss is the son of the founder, who died three years ago. Ice, the boss, promised my father a powerful & riches. Aside from working hard on the plans, the deal was that Ice would marry me." Kate continued. "I didn't have a choice."

That bastard. Keith felt a strong urge to beat this Ice person to a pulp. How dare he force Kate to marry him? No one deserved a lovely lady like her! Heck, even Keith wondered if he did.

"Well…" Keith tried to calm down. "At least you're here with me now. I'll make sure you're safe and happy. You're not going to have to go through that pain or see those creeps ever again."

Kate looked at him with interest. Her fingers reached over to scratch the back of his neck. Keith shivered before melting away. Yow, that felt good! Keith purred uncontrollably and fell to his side. This wasn't manly and he acted like a buizel but he couldn't resist. Kate and her expert pokemon knowledge knew the perfect scratching places. She had the magic touch. The girl giggled as Keith relaxed.

"Thanks Keith." Kate said.

A knock came on the door. Kate stopped petting Keith, who got up as the library door opened.

"Hi guys!" Rhythmi poked her head in. "Dinner's ready!"

Dinner? Already? Wow, time just flew by. Kate and Keith went with the eevee down to the dining room once more. Rhythmi was having a conversation with Kate, who started talking more. It was great to see Kate was getting better; no longer hurt. And talking to Keith seemed to help her.

Keith saw there was a tiny sparkle in her vivid blue eyes as she talked and laughed with Rhythmi. The buizel's heart started to pick up speed. His face grew warmer. He was anxious while a gentle, caring feeling washed over him. Before, he had these strange emotions that he didn't quite understand. But now Keith understood them as they grew stronger. It was impossible to deny the truth.

"Are you alright, Keith?" Kate asked, watching him with those big blue eyes. "You look a little…off."

Rhythmi smirked, catching on. Keith swallowed his nerves, trying to act normal.

"Yeah. I'm better than alright." He responded. "I…I'm just happy to be with you."

"Thanks Keith! That's really sweet!" Kate smiled.

Damn it! Keith felt his face started to redden even more just seeing Kate's cute smile. Rhythmi was snickering. Ok so the truth was undeniable. Still, that didn't mean it would make Keith's life any easier.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Pueltown. 1 am. Dark and hushed…for the time being.

Kincaid got into his Dim Sun uniform, though it was much more elaborate than a regular grunt or admin. He was a leader, after all. Soon to be almost as powerful as the boss himself. It wouldn't be long.

"Kincaid."

The hairspray haired man turned to find Ice walking up to him. Ice seemed very focused…or was it the darker eyes? Oh how he resembled his father.

"Are we ready?" Ice questioned.

"Everything is set." Kincaid answered. "Once we get my daughter back, we can advance to final step of our plan. And Almia will be under your control."

"Excellent. Tomorrow night, we strike. Gather the troops and ready them for whats ahead." Ice ordered.

"As you wish, sir."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"HEY CUT IT OUT! LET ME GO!"

"Hold still, will ya?"

"STOP SHOVING ME! WH-WH-WHOOAAA!"

SPLASH!

Keith was tossed into a bathtub full of warm water and thick bubbles. He coughed, wiping soap from his eyes. Dammit. What the heck was going on? Keith hung out with Kate all morning till the girls insisted on spending some girl time with them. As the buizel napped, Crawford suddenly tangled him in a grass knot, dragged him across the castle and threw him in the bath.

"What the hell is this about?" Keith questioned, irritated.

"Tonight is the night!" Crawford told him.

"This is when the curse will break!" Sven said, entering the room.

"Tonight?" Keith pounded the water out of his ears. "Why tonight?"

"Haven't you been keeping up? This is the last night before the last sakura petal falls!" Crawford replied.

Already? Again, time went by way too fast. It seemed like only yesterday Kate came to the castle.

"Guys? I-I'm not sure I can do this…" Keith gulped, uneasy.

"Well there isn't any time to chicken out, dude." Sven responded. "Relax and be yourself. Then, when the moment is right, make a bold and daring move."

"Bold and daring…" Keith noted. "Got it."

After some scrubbing, the clean buizel hopped from the tub. He purposely shook his fur at Crawford as payback. Crawford rolled his eyes and dropped a towel on top of Keith.

"There shall be music and romantic atmosphere. We made sure everything was ready for this special night." Sven said. "At the height of the moment, you profess your love to the girl!"

A lump formed in Keith's throat. "I…I can't."

"Don't you care about Kate?" Crawford questioned.

"More than anything." Keith sighed.

He took a brush and smoothed down his fur.

"Then tell her!" Crawford huffed, as if this was obvious.

Sven got something out. A buizel-sized tuxedo. Keith groaned, remembering how those things itched and felt uncomfortable as a human. As a buizel? Had to be worse.

"Aw, lighten up!" Crawford nudged Keith.

"Our operators worked hard on it. And they weren't good sewers even as humans. Have to admit they did a good job." Sven commented.

That they did. Keith hated tuxes. Though if it would help win Kate over, he'd wear it. With another groan, Keith changed into the outfit. Looking in a mirror, he saw he was quite dashing. The black bowtie added a nice touch. All in all, the tuxedo fit well and was easy to move around in. Though he'd never say it out loud, Keith did admit this tux was spiffy.

Issac came into the room. "The girls are ready."

"It's show time." Sven said.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

When the Union was changed into a castle, it came with a ballroom. It was yellow and white but when the chandelier lights glowed as night hit, the colors would magically appear to be gold and silver. The circular space was impressive. Details were all over the place. Leading into the ballroom was a grand staircase with red carpeting. One staircase at the bottom with two separate stairs to the left and right.

Keith stepped out of the door to the right staircase. He saw Kate exit the other door and felt his heart stop. Kate's soft hair was let down, tumbling around her shoulders. A small, decorative silver tiara was placed on her head. The dress was a sparkling ballgown of blue that matched Kate's eyes. Her face was flushed pink, looking shy. Keith was captured by her immense beauty. He thought she was a princess when they first met but now he thought she was an angel. Crawford had to push Keith to get him to move. Keith shot him a look before regaining composure and walking downstairs to meet Kate. They gave a courtesy bow and walked the rest of the stairs together.

First was dinner. Kate was a dainty eater but at least she was eating more than when she first arrived. It was Keith who was barely eating. How could he? There was a vision of grace and beauty sitting across from him. They both talked, laughing occasionally over a joke or something. Again, Keith was distracted by Kate to pay attention to anything else. His face heated up at times as he watched that gorgeous smile appear on the girl's face.

Once they were done, a melody drifted through the air and the two went off to the dance floor. Keith was unsure about this. How could he dance with Kate when there was this obvious height difference? Also, buizel or not, Keith wasn't a good dancer. Kate pondered this too. But she soon took Keith's paws and hoisted him up to eye level. The girl did the steps and spins while Keith could guide their direction. T-they did it! Keith and Kate were dancing!

Gliding across the floor so elegantly, Keith soon forgot how they were dancing. He was just thrilled that they were. The buizel was smiling uncontrollably as he studied the gorgeous face before him. His heart was soaring. This moment had to be one of the best in his entire life.

Every now and again, Keith glanced to the sidelines to see his friends watching. Crawford gave a pokemon equivalent of a thumbs up. Issac and Sven looked proud. While Wendy was happy to see things going well, Luana and Rhythmi were a bit over-emotional about it. Rhythmi leaned on Issac for support as she got teared up. Issac would stroke her head, smiling and keeping her close. Luana seemed curious about the dance moves. Crawford sheepishly offered to teach her basic steps to which the red-faced Luana would comply. Sven slipped his paw on Wendy's wing. At first, Wendy was confused but she didn't object.

The air was intoxicating. Keith loved it. He felt he was swimming in magic. Like he was wrapped in warmth and happiness. There was no other place in the world Keith would rather be than with Kate, sharing this moment.

Lights were dimming. Keith led Kate to the outer edge of the room and out the door to the balcony. With all-knowing smiles, their friends left the ballroom to give them alone time. The couple shut the door behind them as they were greeted with a brush of cool wind.

"Wow!" Kate gasped.

She ran onto the stone balcony, right to the edge. The girl stared up at the sky with a look of excitement and wonder. Keith leapt to the ledge beside her. It was a spectacular view. The bluish-black sky was filled with hundreds of diamond like stars. There were even a couple of shooting stars.

Though this was a good view, Keith liked the one next to him. Kate's smile was incredible while the wind blew past her. Her eyes were the best part. They were filled with light and energy, much different than when Keith first saw them. No darkness, no pain, nothing. Those cerulean eyes were the most dazzling Keith had ever seen. They made his heart beat with rapid speed and his paws tremble. He was almost breathless.

Kate sat down on the ledge. "Thanks for the nice night, Keith. I'm having fun."

It took a minute or few for Keith to think of how to respond and how to even speak. Damn it, Kate was adorable. Especially when she looked at him with those eyes. He felt like he'd pass out!

"Er…I um…T-t-thanks…" Keith stammered. "M-me too."

Nothing was said for some time after. Kate was enjoying the serene view while Keith was gawking at Kate. He was getting more nervous every second. His face was heating up again.

"So…um…K-Kate? Are you h-happy here?" Keith asked.

"Of course I am." Kate answered. "I have friends who care about me, including you. And I'm having fun. For the first time in years, I can relax and…"

"KATE I LOVE YOU!"

Keith instantly held his paws to his mouth, turning dark scarlet in the face. Kate whirled around to meet his gaze. Damn it! Keith didn't mean to blurt it out like that! But the urge to was spiraling out of control! Kate was an amazing girl and these feelings were bubbling up within the buizel. It just slipped out!

"Y-you love me…?" Kate quietly asked, stunned.

With a deep breath, Keith spoke. "Yes. I-I love you. I've been falling in love with you since you first came here. You're sweet, funny, kind and full of light & life. Your ideas and dreams shine as bright as the stars above us. My only wish is to be with you; to protect you from harm and keep seeing that smile I love so much."

Kate's soft face was pink now. She was frozen for a bit. But her hand soon caressed Keith's cheek.

"I love you too." Kate admitted.

"Y-you do?!" Keith exclaimed.

Kate nodded. "You're the one who saved me; from my father, the painful life I had, drowning in the lake….and from the darkness. I thought I was as worthless as father said. That no one would ever care about me and I had no reason to live. But you cared. You talked to me, helped me out and helped me recover. And I saw you were more than a buizel. Keith, you're energetic, bold, friendly and you make me laugh & think. There's so much personality in you that I fell in love with. Even if you're a pokemon."

Keith smiled as his eyes stung with water. He couldn't believe it. Kate loved him back! All the efforts to cast away the darkness and give her light had worked! Keith's paws slipped into Kate's hands as they stared up into the others eyes.

POW!

Kate shrieked as a loud noise penetrated the once quiet scene. Keith's eyes cause the item at a split-second; a bullet. A bullet that grazed Kate's cheek very slightly, causing a scratch. Keith made sure Kate was ok (only dazed) before turning to the source. Down below, some feet before the castle's entrance, was an army in black & purple. At the head was Kate's father, who held the smoking gun. He was with some blue-dressed weirdo who seemed bored yet impatient.

"DAUGHTER! Get down here right now!" Kincaid commanded.

The girl looked to see who it was and froze up in shock. Her entire body shook and turned ghost-white. Kate's eyes were horrified at the sight.

"F-father? And Ice?" She whispered, her voice shaky as well.

Wait a second. Ice? As in the guy she's forced to marry?! Keith glared at the two men with ferociousness. An aggressive growl came from his throat and his fur stuck up sharp. Something from within the buizel made him want to keep Kate safe and destroy those who threatened her safety.

"Kate! Keith!"

Their friends (minus the luxray) came out onto the balcony and pulled them back inside the ballroom.

"Everyone in the castle is alerted and Sven's gathering an army of our own to combat the enemies. We're going to have one hell of a battle." Wendy said.

"Wait, how'd you guys know?" Keith asked.

"Heh…" Rhythmi sweatdropped. "Might've been my idea to spy on you and Kate via magic monitor."

Keith face-palmed, muttering choice words.

"Yell at me later for it but right now, we need to hide you and Kate from those bad people!" Rhythmi said.

"No way! I'm going down there and I'll fight those idiots with you. We're a team." Keith objected.

"You really want to hide Kate away all by herself? While she's scared to death?" Issac reasoned. "A gentleman should always protect a lady."

The larvitar had a point. And it looked like delicate Kate was going to break down.

"Fine." Keith sighed. "But promise me you will all stay safe. I don't want any of my best friends hurt."

"Hey, don't underestimate us." Crawford chuckled.

"We'll be a-ok!" Luana cheered.

Everyone went off. The pokemon friends were going towards the front entrance to meet with everyone else. Meanwhile, Keith guided Kate through the castle, trying to think up a safe place to hide during what would be an insane battle.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Things were already crazy at the front doors. Sven wasn't sure of a strategy yet. Needing more time to think, he ordered everyone to form a barricade at the door. The pokemon union crew was doing their best to hold off Dim Sun. Though Din Sun's army was tough; they were trying to knock the doors down.

"Sven!"

The luxray grinned as he heard Wendy's voice. Seeing her and the others meant they convinced Keith and Kate to hide off somewhere. Kind of a shame their romantic moment and curse-breaking had to be rudely interrupted.

"Wen!" Sven cried out as he blocked the door from another blast. "Not much time here! Got any ideas how to get these goons?"

"She may or may not. But I do." Issac spoke up.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

It was a couple of pounds against the door before it caved away. The Dim Sun army walked into the dark entrance room of the castle. Surprisingly, it was quiet and calm. They shuffled inside, looking around. Odd that a bunch of pokemon statues were scattered about. None of them noticed a luxray watching their every move. He waited till all the men were inside…

"NOW!" Sven called out.

All at once, the pokemon statues charged at the Dim Sun army with their pokemon powers. Each sort of type was launched out and flying through the air. Dim Sun grunts and admins screamed while they tried to combat the talking pokemon. Things in the castle went from 0 to insanity in just milliseconds. No one had noticed that one man had somehow escaped all this and slipped away upstairs.

"ISSAC! HELP!"

Issac had just finished off some grunts with a rockslide when he heard a scream.

"Rhythmi!" He exclaimed, rushing off.

One grunt had captured her and set a torch onto her fur. Rhythmi was struck with fear, crying as she was being burned. Issac didn't hesitate to use his most powerful move, stone edge, on the man. Rhythmi was thrown to the ground as the grunt ran off.

"Rhythmi, are you alright? Are you hurt badly?" Issac rushed to her side.

"Issac! You saved me!" Rhythmi kissed his lips. "My hero!"

The larvitar flushed at the sudden action. But he held her close for a little bit and returned the kiss on her head.

"My dear, shall we team up and stop these intruders together?" Issac asked in a gentleman's tone.

"I'd love that." Rhythmi agreed, with sparkling eyes.

At another end of the room, Sven was turning grunts into charcoal with his blazing thunderbolt attacks. His skills were pretty darn good, for a human-turned-luxray.

Then there was a cry.

Sven's eyes darted around, looking for the source. Didn't take long for him to track it down. It was Wendy and she was in big trouble. Several grunts were holding her down and ripping off her feathers. Rage built up within Sven. He raced over, gave a loud roar and summoned up a wickedly powerful thunder attack. The grunts that tormented Wendy were now burnt to a crisp, running away with girlish screams. Sven went to the staraptors side.

"Are you hurt badly?" He asked, inspecting her wings.

"Sore but alive." Wendy groaned. "Thank you."

"Anytime partner." Sven grinned. "How about we team up?"

"Just like ol' times." Wendy said. "But better."

Meanwhile, a buneary was hopping around as fast as she could. She panicked as the grunts & admins gave chase. So she was a lousy battler. Didn't think things would turn out _this_ badly! Luana darted into the kitchen but realized her mistake. Now she was backed up against the wall as the Dim Sun members closed in on her. Luana gulped, fearing she'd face her demise.

"GET 'EM!"

From the drawers, several pokemon popped out and pointed knives at the bad guys. Crawford leapt onto a counter, leading an army of fire type pokemon.

"NOW!" The treeko shouted.

One blast of fire later, the Dim Sun members fled from the kitchen with first degree burns and mortal terror. While the other pokemon were giddy on the successful attack, Crawford leapt down to the ground were Luana was.

"Nice work! I…" He was about to say.

"CRAWFORD!" Luana jumped into his arms, wrapping the grass pokemon in a tight hug. "You saved me! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!"

Crawford's face was warming up. "I, er, y-yeah! S-sure thing!"

Across the castle, the battle seemed to be in big favor of the pokemon. Things were going well. At least, that's what was thought.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

In the farthest reaches of the castle, Keith and Kate hid. They had chosen Kate's room and ducked inside her wardrobe. Keith shut the doors tight, stashed themselves behind the outfits Kate had worn prior and tried to comfort the upset girl. Kate whimpered with a few tears dripping down her smooth cheeks.

"Everything will be ok." Keith whispered, holding her hand. "I'm here. I'll protect you."

Kate held him close as she curled into a ball. They had been hidden inside for a long time. Not much could be heard from where they were. Keith knew another dangerous thunderstorm was brewing outside with high winds and even some hail. Occasionally, a loud sound might erupt from downstairs. Hopefully, the battle was going well. Keith wanted to fight for Kate but felt the need to protect her was stronger. There was also a banging sound that came from down the outside hallway. Like someone kicked doors open. Keith and Kate held their breath as the banging sound got closer each time…

BAM!

The door to Kate's room was kicked open. Both buizel and girl held their breath, hoping the intruder would go away. A minute passed. Two. Silence.

WHAM!

Suddenly, the doors to the wardrobe were forced open by some powerful vigor. His eyes glared down at Kate and Keith, who started growling upon seeing him.

"There you are, you brat." Ice muttered, annoyed. "How dare you hide from me?"

Ice's arm grabbed Kate and yanked her outside the wardrobe. The girl's arm was grasped so tightly, it could easily cut off blood circulation. Keith was knocked to the floor but faced Ice, brave and determined.

"Ice, she's my girl." Keith spoke. "And you'll have to go through me to get her."

The blue clad man seemed amused by this. He shoved Kate onto the floor.

"Very well. I accept your challenge." Ice's hands glowed an eerie black. "Let the battle begin."

Keith leapt out at Ice, ready to bite him. Ice's hands flashed before stopping in Keith mid-air, surrounding him with the same black aura on his hands. The Dim Sun boss telekinetically threw him through the windows. Keith crashed into the glass and tumbled on the rainy rooftop. Ice ran outside.

"Damn you…" Keith mumbled, getting back up.

"What's the matter? Can't take a hit, noob?" Ice mocked.

"How could you have dark powers like those?" Keith questioned.

"What? You don't see the family resemblance? These devilishly good looks and dark powers?" Ice hinted. "Dark powers that should seem all too familiar to you."

Keith got an idea. "N-no way…"

"That's right. My full name is Ice Hall and I'm the son of Blake Hall; founder of Dim Sun, master of darkrai powers and the one who put you pokemon through hell." Ice told him. "In the past three years, I've nearly completed the plans my father started and mastered the darkness. Now I'll destroy you rangers as well."

Keith tried a swift but Ice dodged it easily. Ice returned fire with a shadow ball, knocking Keith to the edge of the rooftop. Another shadow ball was starting to charge up in Ice's palms, one that would send Keith flying and finish him.

"KEITH!"

Kate! The buizel looked to see Kate had gotten up and watched out the window, appalled. This girl was the reason Keith was fighting. He'd do anything to see her smile and know she was safe from harm. And if that meant defeating this evil creep, Keith would do it. He would give his life for his love.

The shadow ball was launched. Keith narrowly avoided it, propelling himself up and away with a water gun directed on the rooftop. He gave a roar, baring teeth. This buizel meant business. But Ice did too. Now the dark aura was all over his body. Both guys chased each other across the rooftop, using attack after attack.

Keith landed a strong aquajet on Ice, knocking him back and temporarily stunning him. This made it a good opportunity to duck into the gargoyle maze to charge up his razor wind. He found the perfect hiding spot and did just that. Ice was soon unparalyzed. Getting back up, he activated his powers in a dark energy beam and accidentally attacked a statue, thinking it was Keith. Ice was furious. He stomped through the gargoyle maze, ready to slaughter Keith.

"Come on out and fight, noob!" Ice called.

The buizel tried to ignore him. He stayed put to ready his surprise assault.

"You fell in love with her, didn't you?" Ice taunted. "Did you really think Kate would go for a mangy pokemon like you? HA!"

Keith clenched his jaws together, wanting to pound Ice right there and then. Just a little more energy to gather up…

"Kate is mine. And once I knock you off, I'll take her far away and make sure she never sees the day of light again." Ice smirked.

That was it! Keith finished up and jumped out at Ice as he came near. Razor wind was used, proving to be one heck of a move. It certainly weakened Ice a lot. The boss was sent tumbling down the ridge of a roof, to another area. With Ice disoriented, that made it easier for Keith to attack over and over again. One aqua tail sent Ice's head slammed into the rooftop, making him unconscious. Keith stood over him to make sure he was down. Seemed to be. That knock to the head looked serious. And it wasn't likely that he'd wake up soon.

"Stay away from Kate, you lowlife." Keith hissed. "Don't you ever come back here again."

"Keith!"

Keith looked up to the very top of the roof. Kate had gotten up there, standing under the Tree of Harmony.

"Kate!" The buizel gasped, overjoyed.

Her hand was held out. Keith quickly navigated up the slippery roof, ignoring the falling rain and hail that poured on him. He smiled as his paw was held in her delicate hand. Kate took him under the tree and held him in her arms.

"Thank heavens you're safe." Kate whispered.

"As are you, sweetheart." Keith murmured.

They stared into each others eyes, feeling the happiest they've ever been. Keith's paw brushed a loose strand of hair from Kate's face as he caressed her cheek. His heart felt complete. He closed his eyes and leaned in, desperately wishing to kiss his love. Kate started to do the same. Their lips were about to meet…

SLAM!

Kate was blasted several feet away on the rooftop. Keith tried to go after her but found himself unable to move. His body was covered by a black aura again and was risen off the ground. The buizel found Ice. The Dim Sun boss's eyes were glowing a deep black color as the shadows in his hand created a blade. Kate looked up just as the blade was thrust into Keith's body.

"KEITH! NO!" The girl screamed.

Keith was cried out in agony, feeling the blade twist around inside him. Ice's smirk was twisted as he pulled out the knife from the buizel. Kate watched in horror as her love was thrown against the tree and his bleeding body slumped to the ground. She crawled over to his side, holding him in her shaking arms.

"K-Kate…" Keith coughed, quickly weakening.

"Oh Keith…" Kate whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"I wanted…to protect you…" Keith was having trouble breathing. "T-to…see…your smile…"

Kate's fingers stroked Keith's head. The buizel was losing too much blood. He was fading away quickly.

"Kate, I lo-…"

Keith didn't get to finish. His breath caught. With a few twitches, his eyes shut and his body grew limp. Just like that, Keith was gone.

"KEITH!" Kate cried out. "PLEASE NO!"

"He's dead. Can't hear you anymore."

Ice came over to Kate. His hand grabbed her throat, pulling her back up and making her drop Keith's body.

"You have some nerve. Enjoying yourself here in a castle and even loving a disheveled pokemon like him?" Ice tightened his hold on her. "How pathetic."

What Kate did next had took courage. But after seeing Keith killed, she had enough. Kate kicked Ice and broke free from his grip.

"I'm done with you! You and father! All my life, I was treated like a slave. I was a pawn to my father and a toy to you. And I'm sick of it!" Kate stood up for herself. "I'm not going to marry you, Ice. I won't go anywhere with you or my father."

"You think you have a choice?" Ice shot her a dirty look. "I'd shut up and listen, if I were you. Cause you'd be facing severe punishment. Now come with me."

"No." Kate refused. "I'm going back downstairs and I will help my friends fight your army. And we're going to win."

Ice chuckled. "So you think those wimpy pokemon actually stand a chance against my army?"

The blue dressed man pulled something from his pockets. A black crystal shard that reminded Kate of Ice's scary powers.

"Know what this is?" Ice questioned.

"A dark shard. From the mines you inherited from your father." Kate answered.

"Very good." Ice sarcastically said. "I've been placing these in the miniremo machines your father invented along with a specific chemical altered from hairspray. A normal pokemon would fall under my control. But a…special pokemon, like the ones downstairs, can't handle the dark energy. They'd die a slow, painful death."

"Your army isn't using those. Otherwise, my friends wouldn't be winning." Kate stated.

"True. But when your precious buizel knocked me down, I sent out a telepathy message to your father. We had those miniremos as a last resort. Right now, they're being used for the fight. Each and every one from our supply is destroying your friends." Ice explained.

Kate's eyes widened. Rhythmi, Issac, Sven, Wendy, Crawford, Luana….not them! Not her best friends! Kate collapsed to her knees, traumatized at the thought of them perishing.

"In mere moments, they'll be joining Keith." Ice spat. "They lost, Kate. And I won. You're all mine for the taking."

Tears in Kate's eyes were starting to mix with the raindrops. Her friends were dead and it was her fault for being involved with them. Kate was alone again, to be trapped in misery and torture forever.

Thunder boomed across the sky. Ice gathered his dark powers so he could teleport himself and Kate. Kate went over to Keith's lifeless body again. The final sakura petal on the Tree of Harmony fell off, slowly drifting to the ground. Heartbroken, Kate bent over to plant a kiss on Keith's nose as the petal touched the ground.

Ice was finished. He summoned a black void that would swallow himself and Kate for teleportation. Kate was too blinded with tears to watch the rooftop disappear from view. She could feel herself grow farther away from the place she came to know as home.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

A couple of days had passed.

Things were busy in Altru, the secret location of Dim Sun. Dim Sun was ready to rise up and rule Almia with an iron fist. But Ice demanded he would take care of something first; his and Kate's wedding. Decorations were made, a church was reserved, everything was set up…things happened at a quick pace as Ice ordered. This event would be extravagant and fancy; one of the biggest galas in Almia.

Kate had grown silent and depressed again. Not because of abuse or being locked up. She had been mourning the loss of her dear friends and love. Eating and sleeping were impossible. Nothing mattered anymore. As long as they were dead and she was doomed to be with that wicked Dim Sun boss, there wasn't any reason to go on. Her heart was shattered into pieces, never to be fixed again.

In the blink of an eye, it was wedding day. As the traditional organ music played, Kate strolled down the aisle past rows of Dim Sun members and through the elaborately decorated-with-blue room. Her puffy white wedding dress made it hard to move which seemed to anger Ice, who stood in the front in his usual attire. When Kate finally did make it, Ice took her hand and dug his nails in. Kate's hands bled slightly from the sharp nails Ice had. The priest began to go about the ceremony.

This was it. Kate was being forced to marry this awful man who she hated. She'd be locked into an abusive marriage for the rest of her lonely life. Her friends were gone. So was her true love, who meant the world to Kate. Tears spilled down her face uncontrollably as the impact of pokemon's deaths at the castle hit her hard once again.

"Stop crying." Ice snarled. "You cry and that nose will be broken to bits later on."

It didn't matter. Kate would face this sort of treatment the rest of her life. She'd mourn her friends and love forever. It was all over for the girl. Nothing left but to accept that.

The priest went on talking. "If anyone here objects to this…"

"I OBJECT!"

The church doors suddenly burst open and someone stormed inside. Everyone turned to see, including Kate. She was struck with awe at who this guy was. First off, he wore a rangers uniform. He was a ranger! One of them finally came back! And wow was he good looking. Tall with some muscles developing nicely on his arms and chest. His face seemed to be carved by angels. He had crimson red hair that was messy and wild like fire. But what really got to Kate were the eyes. Green eyes that sparkled like emeralds and held fierce resolve within them. Those eyes struck a chord in the girl. She couldn't help blushing as her heart rate sped up.

Ice was enraged, gritting his teeth together so hard they could break.

"I thought I finished you off." Ice glared at the ranger, who stood several feet away.

"I'm here for the beautiful bride. She's coming with me." The ranger gallantly spoke.

"You can't have her." Ice growled.

"I'll fight for her if I must." The ranger challenged.

"Just you? Against me and my entire army?" Ice scoffed.

The ranger smirked. "I never said I was alone."

From the exit doors, two pairs of rangers appeared. There was a very tall, skinny guy with a light brown afro and a girl who had short dark hair. The other pair had a tan-skinned man with rippling muscles and a red cowboy hat covering his dark blue hair alongside an attractive woman with green hair. They were leading even more rangers inside the church and circling along the outer edges of the Dim Sun army and ready to fight.

"I won't let you marry Kate." The redheaded ranger said. "Ice, let's battle. You and me."

"I accept your challenge. But don't think I'll go easy on you like last time." Ice huffed.

He pushed Kate away, knocking her over. Ice got his dark powers set and charged into battle against the redheaded ranger. Right away, the rest of the church was in chaos. It was rangers vesus Dim Sun in a gigantic war. Kate wasn't sure what to do or where to do. She couldn't move well in the wedding dress nor could she easily avoid an attack some either side. The girl was stuck; lost and confused.

"Kate!"

Out of nowhere, two people came and grabbed Kate's arms, helping her back to her feet. One was a girl dressed in a green operators uniform and had a unique tied up blonde hairstyle. The guy was blonde as well though he wore a lab coat over a basic attire and had a mushroom haircut.

"Don't worry! We've got you!" The girl assured.

"Let's go!" The guy said.

The girl grabbed Kate's arm and started running, causing Kate to run with her. It was hard to keep up in the stupid dress but Kate tried. She even abandoned her shoes. Kate was led to the side of the church and through the door to the rest of the church areas. There was a long, skinny hallway that the trio ran through.

"Are there any Dim Sun members this way?" The girl asked.

"They should all be in the church sanctuary to combat against the rangers. If any of them were standing guard, I assume they'd be called in to fight as well." The guy answered. "We should be safe."

"If I remember the diagram correctly, we should keep going down this hallway. It should lead us to the entrance area and we can leave through the front doors." The girl advised.

It was an unusually long hall that Kate was hustled through. When they got to the end, the guy peeked through the door.

"No good." He said. "They used the miniremo devices to hypnotize pokemon into guarding the church sanctuary room when grunts were called into action."

The girl opened the door on the left side of the hallway. "Then we'll have to take this way out. We go down the stairs to the bottom level, where the cafeteria is. It should be clear since there's no reception or anything. We use the emergency exit and we're home free."

"Smart thinking." The guy commented, impressed.

The girl smiled, blushing for a split second. Then she took Kate and rushed through the door. With the boy following behind, the three went down the stairs.

"Ummm…" Kate tried to find the words to say. "E-excuse me but who are you people?"

"You don't recognize us?" The girl asked with a knowing grin.

"It's to be expected. We did change quite a bit since our last encounter." The guy noted, wearing the same expression.

Did Kate meet them before? Sounded like it. The two did have a sense of familiarity.

It was a bit of a climb to get down to the basement. As the girl expected, the basement was empty. Just a bare cafeteria that the group ran through and over to the emergency exit.

"Shoot there's an alarm above the door…" The girl noticed.

"I can disable it, no problem." The guy assured.

The blonde guy started working on the door. He moved wires, took some parts out and adjusted things. It was weird. Kate knew someone who studied machinery and was super intelligent like this guy. Same with the optimistic girl that was willing to help others. It seemed to hit a bell…

"Got it!" The guy said.

Kate's arm was pulled again, causing her to run once more. They all escaped out the back of the church without being seen. One of the church's stained glass windows shattered. Sounded like that fight was getting intense. Kate was glad these nice people had gotten her out of there.

"Hold up!"

Two rangers came up to the group, joining them on the run. It was the afro guy and the girl with dark hair (and, Kate noticed, sparkling white teeth).

"I thought you two would be fighting with everyone else." The girl said.

"We've been told you to escort you guys back home." The afro ranger told her. "In case of danger and all that."

"YAY! We rescued Kate!" The dark haired ranger cheered. "Mission success!"

"Hey, we have to get our kidnapped bride back home before we call it a mission success!" The afro ranger chuckled.

Ok they were _definitely_ familiar. Not just the blondes but the rangers too. One with a recognizable sense of humor and another who was super cheerful. Kate knew these people. But again, from where?

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

From the sky, a gliscor descended. And it carried Kincaid. Kate, feeling scared, hid behind the rangers.

"You dare rob me of my golden opportunity?!" Kincaid snapped. "I'll show you rangers not to mess with Dim Sun!"

Kate's father got out the miniremo used to control gliscor. He summoned up a drapion as well. The rangers responded by whipping out their stylers.

"Bring it on, hairspray head." The afro ranger said.

And thus the captures began. Kate was amazed, watching rangers in action. She saw the capture disks loop around the pokemon while the rangers dodged all sorts of incoming attacks. They were awesome! After three years, Kate got to see her heroes perform captures. Incredible!

A few minutes in and there was a shriek. The dark haired girl was halfway complete with her capture on gliscor when her styler broke. She was slammed to the side by the pokemon's knock off attack.

"Luana!" The afro ranger cried out, concerned.

Luana? That was the same name as…

"Gliscor! Snatch Kate!" Kincaid ordered.

The gliscor obeyed, flying up and diving towards Kate at top speed. Kate was too terrified to even move. She watched the vicious pokemon get closer, ready to grab her…

BAM!

Just before gliscor hit, Kate was knocked to the ground by the green haired ranger. At the same time, someone stood in front of them and faced gliscor. The cowboy ranger whipped out…A FINE STYLER?! And the green haired girl had one too! They were top rangers! What an honor to meet them!

"Show me what you've got, gliscor." The cowboy challenged.

He took Luana's place and went to capture gliscor. The green haired ranger got up, helping Kate as well. As the blonde girl was assisting Luana, the guy came to Kate and the green haired ranger.

"I thought you were back inside fighting Dim Sun." He said.

"Yeah but most of the battles done. Most of Dim Sun is defeated. We just have their stupid leader to go." The green haired girl told him. "But I think he can be handled no problem. I can take care of Kate from here on out and meet up with you guys later."

"Good idea." The blonde guy agreed.

Kincaid was busy with the rangers. He didn't see his daughter spirited away by the green haired ranger. As the two ran, the green haired ranger got her styler ready and quickly captured a staraptor. Staraptor…Kate shivered, feeling a heavy sense of loss. She couldn't help but think of her friend.

"You ok?" The green haired girl asked as they climbed on the staratpor.

"…yeah." Kate mumbled.

The staraptor took off. Though the view of Almia was spectacular, Kate still felt down.

"Come on. You don't like staraptors or something?" The green haired ranger questioned.

"Not at all!" Kate told her. "It's just…this staraptor reminds me of a friend. She died recently."

"Died? Really?" The green haired ranger raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

Kate was about to speak but stopped, looking at the ranger. The green haired ranger had this smug look to her, as if in on a big secret.

"….Wendy?" Kate blinked.

"You finally figured it out." Wendy grinned.

"WENDY!" Kate exclaimed, hugged her. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"Whoa there! You're going to knock us off our ride!" Wendy laughed.

"A-and everyone back there? A-Are they…?" Kate stammered.

"Yep. We're all alive, kiddo. And we're human." Wendy replied.

"But how?" Kate was confused.

"Three years ago, Blake Hall attacked the Union. Apparently, we were the only ones standing in his way of darkness and world domination. He was defeated but right as he died, he launched a curse on Union and everyone in it. We were turned into pokemon as the building turned into some gothic castle of sorts." Wendy explained. "However, you kissed Keith and it broke the spell. Though we all died, your love must've been strong enough to bring as back as we returned to human form."

"Everyone's alive? And human?" Kate asked.

"Everyone." Wendy responded.

"So the guy fighting Ice…." Kate started to say.

Wendy smirked. "None other than the buizel himself."

Kate gasped. Keith was alive! And human! Her eyes teared up while her heart was pounding, radiating pure joy. Thank arceus, Keith didn't die!

"I thought you might react that way." Wendy chuckled. "While we wait for the others to return victorious, I'll show you around the Union and get you some clothes. That wedding dress looks painful to wear."

Kate sweatdropped. Boy was that the truth. But right now, she couldn't be any happier.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Kincaid had been defeated. Crawford was glad he had Sven's help for this. Now the top ranger was going to take the bad guy back to the church, where he'd be arrested with the other grunts. Everyone else in their group would head back to the Union to meet up with Wendy and Kate.

"Luana?" Crawford bent down to Luana. "Are you hurt?"

"Sprained ankle and a bruise on her head but she's fine." Rhythmi replied.

"I think I'm good…" Luana dizzily said.

Crawford looked over the dark haired girl. Then, with one swift movement, he carried her bridal-style.

"C-Crawford!" Luana squeaked, turning red. "W-what…are you…?!"

"You can't walk so I'm going to help you." Crawford told her.

"Y-y-yeah but…I…you…" Luana stuttered, embarrassed.

"It's no trouble at all. And I know it's, er, awkward…but it's only till we get to the Union so…" Crawford was starting to get flustered.

Some feet away, Rhythmi and Issac glanced at their ranger friends.

"Why don't they just give up already?" Rhythmi giggled.

Issac shook his head. "It will be some time before that happens. Love works in mysterious ways. And speaking of love…"

The genius pulled something from his labcoat pocket. Rhythmi held a hand to her mouth as a red rose was handed to her. Both blondes had a soft shade of pink on their faces.

"Rhythmi, my dear, you are the most elegant girl I've ever met. I've been in love with you for a long time." Issac confessed, kneeling.

"Issac…" Rhythmi whispered, bending down to his eye level. "I feel the same way."

Luana and Crawford, breaking out the shy awkwardness, watched the blondes have their romantic kiss.

"Awww! So cute!" Luana sniffled, over-emotional.

"As if we didn't have enough romantic atmosphere back at the Union…" Crawford sweatdropped. "HEY LOVE BIRDS! How about we get going!"

"How about you and Luana make out?" Rhythmi shot back.

Crawford was red in the face. "Can't hear you! I'm walking away now!

"Oh you so heard me!"

"La la lah! Can't hear you!"

"EEP! CRAWFORD! You nearly dropped me!"

"ACK! S-SORRY!

"Don't drop your future bride, Crawford."

"I wouldn't bother with the warning. He'll drop her anyways."

"SHUT UP!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Wendy heard the explosion before seeing it out the window. She had been picking out some clothes for Kate when it happened. The top ranger could see a massive explosion of darkness erupt in the distance; Pueltown's direction. From memory, Wendy knew it was coming from the church. After a few minutes of silence, Wendy's styler rang. Of course she knew who it'd be.

"Hey Sven." Wendy answered the call. "What's up?

"Good news, partner. Dim Sun is defeated once and for all." Sven announced.

"Awesome!" Wendy said.

"Ice's dark powers were overcome by Keith's capturing skills and something about pure hearts & lights. It was enough to make the darkness explode, destroying Ice in it." Sven told her.

"I could see the explosion from the Union." Wendy commented. "So do I assume you and our redheaded hero will be returning soon? Or just Keith?"

"Both of us. Why? You think I have something else to do?" Sven asked.

"You are human again." Wendy pointed out. "I sort of expected you to go back to how things were before the curse. Chase after the first hot girl you see, have some fun and blah."

"Actually, I was hoping to hang out with you, partner." Sven said.

Wendy pulled a t-shirt from her closet. "Really? Three years of hanging out and you're not sick of me?"

"Why would I be? You're cool to hang out with, Wen." Sven told her. "How about later, we sneak out of the Union and check out Pueltown? Maybe grab something to eat? My treat?"

"That sounds kind of like a date." Wendy picked out some shorts.

"One would call it that, yes."

Wendy stopped. Her fingers accidentally let go of the clothes as she tried to comprehend what Sven said.

"Wait. You're asking me out on a date?" Wendy carefully questioned.

"I was going to ask in person but sometimes things work out differently." Sven responded. "So what do you think?"

"I think you're messing with me again." Wendy sighed.

"I'm not joking, Wendy. I was asking you out on a date. True, I've had a reputable past with women but that was before. Now I realize that I want a long-term, stable relationship with a woman I care about. And I want to date you." Sven said.

Wendy wasn't sure. Ok so when she and Sven met, yes Wendy admired him. I mean, who wouldn't? Sven had attractive looks but was also brave, daring and loved adventure. The admiration faded when he became a player though Wendy remained close friends with him. Sven was a guy you could rely on no matter what. Even if a mission happened during a date, he would ditch the girl to help Wendy in an emergency. Then they were pokemon. A staraptor and luxray? Completely different pokemon species. Yes they were as close friends as before. And Wendy found herself admiring Sven again (didn't dare admit, even to herself, that it was a crush). But how could anything work between them when they were too different.

"Well?" Sven patiently waited.

They were human again. And Sven did seem awfully interested in Wendy. He paid a lot of attention to her and cared about her feelings. It didn't seem like a joke he'd pull.

"Alright. I'll give it a shot." Wendy accepted.

She sense Sven was grinning. "Thanks Wen. I promise, you won't regret it."

They hung up, ending the call. Wendy gathered the clothes and started to walk back to where Kate was.

"So I have a date now. With my best friend, one of Almia's hottest bachelors." Wendy thought. "Huh. You know, I think I'm looking forward to it."

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Everyone gathered at the Union. Kate was elated to see her friends again; alive and well. There were hugs, laughs, high-fives and celebration all around. The troops from the Dim Sun fight came home little by little. Many rangers, operators and mechanics thanked Kate for what she had done. There was even a small meeting. And a decision was made. Starting the next day, Kate would join the Union as one of their rangers. The girl's dreams were coming true.

It was evening and pizza was ordered. Some news people came to interview the ranger crew but everyone had already agreed to leave out the major events that happened. Maybe it was best if the rest of Almia didn't know what happened. Kate was happily eating a slice while having a conversation with Luana.

"Hey Kate!" Rhythmi came over. "Can we go to the rooftop?"

"Huh? The rooftop?" Kate blinked.

"Yeah! There's something up there you should totally see!" Rhythmi said.

"Ummm…but I'm taking to Luana…" Kate told her.

"No it's ok! I was going to go see where Crawford went off too." Luana assured. "We'll chat later, kay?"

"Sure." Kate responded.

Rhythmi couldn't wait anymore. She grabbed Kate's wrist and started dragging her upstairs. Kate was hurried past all the people through the second floor and operators floor. There wasn't any stopping until the girls reached the rooftop of the Union.

The roof had been the only thing between the Union and cursed castle that hadn't changed. Still the same with the grass, the nice open are and the Tree of Harmony. When Kate last saw it, it had shed its last sakura petal. Now there were healthy green leaves. It actually looked better this way.

"So what did you want to show me?" Kate asked.

"Something special." Rhythmi winked. "Could you wait here for a minute?"

Before Kate could even respond, the operator left. Kate was left alone. She glanced up at the sky for a moment but then took a better look. It was stunning. Twinkling stars with a few falling from the heavens, through the bluish black air. Just like the night where she danced with….

"Kate…"

Kate's head turned. By the stairs, the redheaded ranger from before stood. His luminous green that widened, staring at Kate. Kate's heart was beating fast. Her cheeks were warmed as emotions ran high.

"Keith…" She whispered.

They took one slow step towards each other. Two. Three. Kate, unable to contain herself, ran the rest of the way and jumped into Keith's arms. Keith caught her, wrapping his strong arms around her body.

"Keith! You're back!" Kate cried, muffled in his chest.

"Your love was strong enough to bring me back." Keith murmured, stroking the girls head. "And it was my love that freed you from the darkness and defeated Ice for good. Now we can be together. Nothing will ever drive us apart ever again."

Kate's tears of joy were starting to dampen Keith's ranger shirt. He chuckled, not mind at all. His hand tilted Kate's chin, making her stare right up into his eyes. Kate almost felt her legs turn to jelly and cheeks grow hot.

"I love you." Keith said, his own face a touch warm.

"I love you too." Kate replied.

They both leaned forward and had their special kiss. A kiss that started with sparks turning into fireworks and ended with a tidal wave of love washing over the pair. There was no greater magic than the love they shared. When they drew back, Keith bowed and held his hand out, requesting to dance. Kate took his hand, accepting it. On the rooftop of the Union, the princess-like girl and once-buizel danced the night away. And it goes without saying that they lived happily ever after.

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**Chia: A 64 page word doc for a one-shot? Impressive.**

**Took me several days more than usual to write this post-poned my other projects but worth it. I'm finally happy with the story. **

**Chia: Good for you! Now to write and update your other stories!**

…**.oh boy…**

**Chia: Hey readers! Don't forget to check out Sky's other fanfics! There's a lot of Pokemon Almia fanfics out there plus some cool other stuff! You should totally see it!**

**You're helping me advertise? **

**Chia: They get to see more of me. DUH.**

***sweatdrop* **


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